Honor's Boundary: A Garrus Vakarian Tale
by KQuinnD
Summary: Honor's Boundary is a story about Garrus' journey beginning around the events of Mass Effect and ending wherever my imagination can take it. There will be love, loss and self-discovery as he battles to save the galaxy with the help of the Normandy & Crew.
1. Chapter 1: Family Ties

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 1: Family Ties**

Garrus' eyes darted down toward his omni-tool. 1658. _Come on! His fingers strummed his desk impatiently._ 1700 hours could not come fast enough. He knew he should be closing out his paperwork for the day, but what was the point. It could wait until tomorrow. It's not like any one would live or die by the work he did at C-Sec. As far as he was concerned a pyjak with a view-screen could do his job. Besides, he had to meet Solana in 15 minutes and she was on the other side of the Citadel.

"Have a good night," he chirped as he blew past Executor Pallin. Pallin didn't bother to respond, rather he let out an exaggerated sigh and nodded in return. _Whatever._ It was no secret that Garrus wasn't exactly a "model" Turian, which meant he bumped heads a lot with his Turian co-workers. Especially Pallin, his supervisor. _For a minute he thought about how he should probably care more about that fact, but it didn't matter now, he needed to catch the next transit!_

He climbed into the next available car.

"Where to Officer Vakarian?" the vehicle's AI inquired.

"Flux please," he replied.

He hated using public transit, but there was no way he could afford a sky car on his salary. _If only I could have brought in Saleon... damn bastard. I would have been promoted for sure! _He had spent months following leads on that mad Salarian "scientist". He still became uneasy thinking of the evidence he had come across during his investigation. He had tracked him to a transport there on the Citadel where he had taken hostages. He frantically got on his com and told Pallin he needed to disable the ship at any cost, but he was overruled. They had said they 'couldn't put the hostages at risk'. _Fools._ What awaited them was worse than death if that butcher escaped with them. He felt his cerulean blood pumping at a furious rate. If only he wasn't confined to C-Sec regulations, he could actually make a difference! He had a sinking feeling that his newest assignment was going to be just as futile. He had found evidence that a Turian Spectre by the name of Saren had been delving into some unscrupulous territory. He was dangerous and Garrus knew it. But how could he prove it to C-Sec? To the Council? Pallin did not take kindly to Garrus alleging anything bad toward a fellow Turian, especially one backed by the Council.

The car pulled into the upper wards and began its descent. Why was he rushing anyway? Spirits knew he had spent more than enough time waiting on his baby sister over the years. He reluctantly made his way up the stairs to the club. It wasn't exactly the kind of place he liked to relax. Sure it was one of the classier party establishments on the Citadel, but he preferred a quiet dinner overlooking the lake than the pounding bass of synth music. He looked around for Solana, but couldn't place her, so he headed over to grab a table.

"Will you be dining alone this evening?" asked a red haired human.

"Just waiting for someone, she should be along soon" he replied.

"Alright sugar. My name is Rita, just let me know if there is _anything_ you need," she smiled and made her way back toward the bar.

_What was that about? _Even after spending the last few years interacting with them he still had a hard time reading human signals. Her tone seemed to be implying something that made him a little embarrassed, but her eyes told a different story. She seemed distracted, anxious. He thought about it for moment but began scanning the area for his sister again instead. His eyes moved across the room taking in the people around him; there were two Krogans taking shots at the bar, one minute they were laughing, the next the looked like they were about to come to blows, nothing new there; there was a Volus, no doubt monitoring for suspicious activity, as his people are notorious for being preceptive when it comes to business, no one would be cheating the house under his watch; there was a human male lusting after an asari as if he had never seen a female before, _pffft humans, ruled only by their libido_; lastly his eyes moved to the dance floor, it was an odd mix of bodies from all across the galaxy collected into one undulating mob, anxious to escape the stresses of their day. He wished he had the ability to forget his troubles like that. But he would never be caught dead on the dance floor. Turians were not known for their grace. He drifted away into the thought of his awkward feet desperately trying to find the beat, smashing into the foot next to him. He snapped out of it as soon as he saw a rather eager young human dancing on a turian female who responded by burying her waist into his. He was amazed at this interaction, so brazen. So... _It can't be! _In a flash Garrus was across the room with a firm grasp around the back of the young turian's neck, dragging her from the stage.

"What exactly are you trying to do Solana? Cause a scene?"_ He realized the irony of his accusation. _"What are you thinking dancing with a human like that?" he roared, he didn't care that others were staring, but he lowered his voice, "What if this got back to Dad?"

"Spirits Garrus! Calm down! I was just having a little fun," she responded sharply. "I can't believe you would embarrass me like that."

"You?" he replied, "how do you think this reflects on the Vakarian name?"

"Really, you are going to go _there?_" she hissed, but her tone changed knowing she had the upper hand. "You wanted to run off and become a Spectre, abandoning Vakarian tradition, and I am the one who should worry about our family name? Please, that's a joke! I really should thank you, you tried all of Dad's patience for me, taking a lot of the heat off of my back."

"Dammit Sol," he reflected on what she had said, she took it too far. He knew his father had been disappointed with some of his decisions, but it was still hard to have it thrown in his face. "Never mind that, I just..." he stalled, " I just don't trust human males, they have no sense of honor, I don't want you getting hurt. They're not like the guys you grew up with."

"Aww Garrus, come on," her voice softened, she regretted being so harsh earlier, she didn't like hurting her older brother. " I am a grown woman now, I can take care of myself. I am Turian military for Spirits sake! You really need to relax."

"I'm sorry, it's just been a long week. I have a new case at work and I am already at a standstill. I feel like Pallin wants me to fail, he throws up roadblocks every time I make some headway! I guess I am just a little on edge," he let out a soft growl.

"That must be frustrating, I know pushing papers isn't how you pictured your life when we were younger...but you had to know you were always going to end up at C-Sec. If you can crack this case you'll be promoted for sure, then you'll have a lot more power to do things your way, you'll see," she said reassuringly, then added "don't let Pallin get you down, you know he's just set in his ways like Dad, there's no point in letting him get to you."

"Thanks," Garrus said, he knew she was just pacifying him, but it still helped. "Excuse me, Rita?" he motioned the server over.

Rita strutted over to their table, "Glad your guest made it, I couldn't stand seeing you sit there all by your lonesome. What can I get for you?" she asked.

"2 glasses of Serrice Ice Brandy, dextro filtered please and a plate of your Dextro-sampler," he replied.

"Coming right up!" the woman replied.

That Brandy was going to put a dent in his budget, but it was worth it. He never got a chance to sit back and catch up with his sister anymore. He couldn't believe how grown up she had become since the last time he had been home to Palaven. They chatted nostalgically about their childhood, what their parents were up to and what they thought the future would hold. He couldn't deny he hated the thought of her going to battle against some of the galaxy's most hardened criminals, but he was proud that she had been chosen as part of an elite division of the Turian military. Only a handful from each graduating class were offered the opportunity she had been. Honestly, he was a little jealous. He should be the one out there putting his life on the line.

Minutes turned to hours, and before they knew it was getting late. Rita cleared their plates and their tab popped up on his omni-tool, _"Please verify your bill is correct and the balance will be automatically deducted from your account. Flux appreciates your patronage. Please remember gratuity is not included."_ He grimaced at the amount as he hit the confirm button and made his way to give his sister a goodbye embrace.

"Listen Gar... don't be a stranger, k? I know I will be harder to reach, but I will be checking for your messages every chance I get. And don't forget to check in on Mom and Dad either, you know they love you, right?"

"I know, I promise. You don't have to worry, I'll always have time for you Sol." He rubbed her forehead to his one last time. She stopped and waved as she made her way through the exit with a sullen look in her eye, before turning the corner and vanishing out of sight. _Spirits if you can hear me, please keep her safe. _

He passed a news terminal on his way to the door, and paused...

_- Good Evening, this is Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund news. In a bold and almost desperate move the Council has appointed the first human Spectre today. Quinn Shepard, an Alliance Commander known as a war hero for being the sole survivor of the Skyillian Blitz could not be reached for a comment. (A picture of the new Spectre appeared on screen) Shepard can either further humanity's reach in the galaxy or make the council races regret granting so much power to a race they feel is still "young" in their galactic development. Only time will tell. The circumstances of this appointment have been kept hush hush, but an inside source tells me the cause for this sudden promotion is due to events surrounding her trip to Eden Prime where a run-in with a Turian Spectre went awry. This has been Khalisah al-Jilani wishing you all a good night. - _

_Turian Spectre? Eden Prime? Could it be Saren? _He had overheard Harkin and Pallin say Saren had been spotted on the human colony just this week. It would coincide with what the human Ambassador had told him about the Spectre's involvement with their colonies. What does this "Shepard" know? If they've made her a Spectre it must be big. He was determined to find out.


	2. Chapter 2: Chance Happenings

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 2: Chance Happenings**

Garrus worked to open his eyes as synthesized light flooded his bedroom. It may have made the Citadel feel more like home but some mornings he wished he had opted for the traditional black void of space to greet him instead of the light pouring over his senses. Every morning at 06:00 hundred sharp. Most days he hit the dimmer button on the side table by his bed, but not today. Today he was determined to pin Saren.

He rolled his long legs off the side of the bed and staggered to sit up. He rubbed his eyes, planted his feet on the ground and made his way over to the cabinet in the corner. He pulled out his plain blue under shirt and plain blue briefs, the same boring outfit he wore every day. He worked to fit his armor on, it was a struggle to assemble the various components before he had his morning cup of turian mogue (the closest human equivalent being coffee, only mogue had a richer flavor. He'd once heard it compared to what human's call a "brazil nut" in taste and it was more of a viscousy gel than a liquid). Fully clothed he made his way to the mess area. He still had leftovers from last night and he was going to need them. That Brandy had packed a hell of a punch and he had to be performing at his best today. He threw back a medi-gaurd tablet just in case a full breakfast didn't do the trick. Couldn't have a headache sneaking in and distracting him. He grabbed his datapad and ran out the front entry.

He left completely engrossed with the data he had collected on Saren, he had read through it a hundred times, but he just didn't have anything concrete. There had been reports of Geth sightings following the Spectre's recent activities. No one had seen Geth outside of the Perseus Veil since the Morning War over 250 years ago. It was just too big of a coincidence, but he couldn't link the two together. What was Saren doing, building an army? To what end? Garrus had met Saren. He was ambitious, maybe even ruthless at times, but he wasn't tyrannical. It just didn't make sense. And it didn't explain why the Geth would follow him. Lost in his own head he failed to see what he was walking right into...

"Hey Vakarian, need a ride?" Chellick volunteered. _Shoot! _Just what Garrus wanted to hear.

"Good morning," he said dryly. "Don't worry about me, I can catch the next transit, I don't want to impose." He didn't mind Chellick, he was a good guy, played by the rules, he even had Garrus' back most of the time. But he spent most of his time trying to get into Pallin's good graces, glorifying him with an undue amount of reverence. It rubbed Garrus the wrong way. Not to mention he had always had a thing for Solana. Which Garrus made sure would never happen.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're going to the same place, just get in will you!" It was not a question, so he begrudgingly took a seat. After listening to Chellick drone on and on about his most recent conquest; he had busted a Batarian drug ring operating out of the lower wards. Garrus made sure to launch out of the car as soon as it touched down.

"Spirits Vakarian, don't hurt yourself, C-Sec can function without you, ya know?" he said with a chuckle.

_Yeah yeah, very funny, why don't you run and tell that to your daddy...no Garrus, just be nice...he's just being friendly. _"Thanks for the ride, saved me the shuttle fare, I owe you a drink sometime."

"I think I'll take you up on that one of these days, see you later!"

They parted ways. _Finally!_ He needed to talk to the Executor now! He had to make him see there was a real threat here. He burst into his office collecting what meager evidence he had trying to figure out the most convincing way to present it. No matter how he arranged it all, he knew it was going to be difficult. But he had to try! Just as he went to page Pallin's office, the screen on his desk lit up.

_"The Executor would like to see you in his office effective immediately,"_ barked the comm.

_What? Is he coming to his senses? It couldn't be... or could it?_

Pallin's main office was not at C-Sec, he would have to make his way across the Presidium to the Embassy offices in order to speak with him. He decided to walk, he could use the time to collect his thoughts build his case. He alternated between a stroll and a brisk walk as his mind reeled. He approached the entry way and the doors slid open without warning, catching him off guard.

"Garrus, good. Have a seat," said Pallin.

"I'm so glad you called this meeting, I was just about to page you, I am about to break this case wide open, this is big!" Garrus blurted out.

"Garrus, this situation has become problematic for me. The Council is breathing down my neck on this one. You're going against a Spectre, by extension the Council feels like you are questioning their judgement. I must say I agree. I went through your activity logs from the week, you have been trying to access classified information above your clearance. I'm sorry, but this case is no longer your concern. We have real threats to deal with here at the Citadel, we don't need valuable resources wasted on chasing some delusion."

Garrus, turned around quickly to face the door, away from Pallin. He couldn't let him see his face. _Keep it together, keep it together, don't do anything rash, what would your father do? Ha, Garrus knew what his father would have done, he would have never looked at the case. Turians must always uphold their Turian fellowship above all else, to turn on your own brother was the worst kind of dishonor._

"But Executor, please. The new Spectre, the human, she is interested in looking into Saren's activities... surely the Council must have some concerns or they would never have appointed her like that. And what about Nihlus? You can't tell me you believe that sham of a story about him being shot by panicked civilian. There's no -"

"Enough!" Pallin cut him short, "The matters of the Council are not your concern. Are we clear? Or is this going to be a problem? I don't want to suspend you! I would hate for your Father's name to be tarnished like that."

Garrus cringed. He could feel his blood pressure rising. He was becoming frenzied. How could Pallin be so blind... so ignorant. He was putting everyone at risk by his inaction.

But he paused, took a few deep breathes and replied, "Crystal clear. Permission to return to C-Sec sir?"

"Granted, you're dismissed," he motioned for his visitor to leave. Garrus' anger was palpable and Pallin was on edge. He really didn't want to discipline the young Turian agent. He wished he would just fall in line like the rest of the men, the way his Father had done, not causing waves. This path he was on would only get him into trouble.

Garrus attacked the door control as if his life depended on it and bolted into the hall, running head first into a group leaving from the Human Ambassador's office.

"I... I'm sorry... I didn't mean.. I'm just..." he struggled to explain himself, disoriented as he shifted his eyes up to see the witnesses of his embarrassment. _Please no._ Who else could it be at that moment but the first Human Spectre herself. She was accompanied by a male Krogan and a young human male, judging by his amp a fairly advanced biotic.

"Well, you certainly know how to introduce yourself," she said pointedly.

He couldn't read her, he didn't know if she was joking or irritated by the preceding events. He struggled to remember her name_...Sampson, Sawyer?_

Breaking the awkward silence she said, "I'm Commander Shepard. This is Staff Lieutenant Alenko and Urdnot Wrex."

_Shepard! He had been close._ "It is an honor to meet you, I suppose congratulations are in order. Spectre?"

"Whoa, you know about that? Great, the whole Citadel must know!" she shook her head.

He was confused at her response, to sound ashamed of her promotion. Anyone else would kill for that chance, including himself.

"I'm sorry, that came out wrong. Thank you, I am deeply humbled and grateful to be given this opportunity. It's just, it only happened yesterday. I didn't realize it was public knowledge, that's all." _It must have been that damn reporter that tried to corner her yesterday, she thought. _

"Enough about me, I've met the Executor before, seems nice enough, for a politician. What's got you so worked up?" she prodded.

He was unprepared for her question, he forgot how forward humans could be. But he had never had a female speak to him so directly. Pallin wasn't a politician... not exactly... or was he? He didn't know anymore.

"Well, actually, it may interest you Commander. I was the C-Sec Officer in charge of investigating Saren, or at least I _was,_ until a minute ago. I know he's dangerous, I can 'feel it in my gut' as your people say. But the Council doesn't take kindly to us delving into their affairs. They shut down my investigation, and Pallin went right a long with them. I want to take him down Shepard, he shames our entire race!" he couldn't help getting worked up again.

"Easy tiger. I agree with you, and I can tell you the Council isn't exactly receptive to my evidence either. If I hadn't bumped into that Quarian, they would have done the same to me!"

_Quarian. Who had he missed?_ He was not happy about this oversight.

"Quarian Ma'am? What did she have? I haven't been able to get anything solid on Saren, everything is buried under miles of red tape, " he said, sounding slightly defeated.

"Yikes, _Ma'am_? That hurts. I'd even take Sir over that. Tali came across a data disc that recorded Saren having a conversation with an Asari matriarch tying him to the Geth, it was damning evidence. No matter how much they didn't want to believe it, there was no denying the vid. Not even Saren's denial could overshadow it. That's why they appointed me as a Spectre I can handle this "discreetly" and gather a better case against him without the confines of a normal officer. But I am still Alliance first."

_Tali, that name sounded familiar. A Quarians, of course, if anyone knew about the Geth and their motivations it would be a Quarian._

"I'm impressed. If I'm not being too bold, I would like to volunteer my services. Like I said, I want to take down Saren just as much as you do. I think I could do a lot more good serving under you." _What? What was he saying? It was the adrenaline talking. Abandoning C-Sec, serving under an Alliance Commander. It's unheard of. But, it felt right._

"A Turian volunteer? Didn't see that coming. Well Wrex and Tali already signed on. What's one more alien face aboard? Besides it sounds like you know just as much about Saren as anyone, we could use your intel. If you're serious about this, I want you at the Normandy's docking bay at 0700 tomorrow. But know that I may be a Spectre, but I don't play fast and loose. The mission comes first, I won't have any one jeopardizing that or putting my crew at risk. If you can handle that, I am excited to have you aboard... uh...?" she fumbled realizing she didn't know his name.

"Spirits, how rude. I can't believe I didn't introduce myself. Garrus... Garrus Vakarian. Thank you Commander, you won't regret this," he said eagerly, yet embarrassed by his lack of manners.

"I hope not Vakarian," she said, but with a playful look in her eye. At that, her squad made their way out of the Embassy wings.

_Did that really just happen?_ Shepard was unlike any human he'd met before. Sure he'd had his fair share of run-in's with Alliance officers, but they were all so typical - fool-hardy, arrogant, naïve. No, this was different. There was something about her that stirred you to action, he saw that in her squad. He knew the Krogan merc that was with her, Wrex was his name. He had cleared him for partial access to the Citadel when he had arrived last week; he had been flagged as a potential trouble-starter. He wasn't the type who would follow someone unwittingly, and he knew she couldn't afford to hire him. Mercs of his caliber don't come cheap. No, she was assembling a team unlike any other before. He finally had the chance to bring a little justice to the galaxy, he wanted in!


	3. Chapter 3: You Say Goodbye

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 3: You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello**

After packing up what he needed from his office, Garrus arrived back at C-Sec housing and anxiously made his way to his apartment. He couldn't believe what had just happened. _This was insane. He'd always complained about the rules, maybe even found ways around them, but completely disregarding them? He must be losing his mind. The scarier feeling was that he had no doubts about his decision, there was no hesitation on his part. I really am a lousy Turian he thought._ The doors slid open and he made his way through the quaint living area, he'd never really bothered with decorating. The only thing lining the walls was a shelf with the medals he'd received during his military training. It was hard to believe it had been 18 years since he enlisted back on Palaven, he could still remember the rush of leaving home and being immersed in a completely new environment, the uncertainty, the thrill, he was feeling it again now.

_***creak *creak****_

Garrus whipped his pistol out of his holster, the noise came from his bedroom. Despite all of his excitement his senses were keen, heightened, his mind only focused on the possible threat at hand. _Could Saren have caught wind of the investigation, would he be willing to go so far as to send an assassin to silence any one in his way. He had used local thugs to try and stop the Quarian, why wouldn't he come after Garrus as well._ Weapon in hand he silently crept down the hall, he was nearing his target. In one swift motion he hit the door control and spun around to take aim with lethal efficiency.

"Mara!" he exclaimed startled, still high off of the adrenaline rush. "What the hell are you doing here, how did you get in?" he demanded.

"Spirits Garrus, were you going to shoot me? What's wrong with you?" Mara shouted alarmed. "I know everyone in this place remember? Chellick has the emergency access codes for your door, so I told him you knew I was coming," she said arguing her innocence.

_Chellick of course, Garrus fumed_.

Mara's expression changed from dismay to mischievous, "If you want I'll let you keep that gun out, I have been an awfully bad girl officer..." she began to fiddle with clasp on her uniform.

"Mara! For Spirits Sake. You can NOT just let yourself into my house! I spend all day going after dangerous people, did it ever occur to you that maybe one day they might come after me? What am I supposed to think when someone is in my room? I could have hurt you, this is serious," he couldn't restrain the acid in his voice. He could tell he hurt her feelings.

"I didn't even think about that," she grimaced. "Solana just mentioned you had been under a lot of stress lately so I thought I would surprise you, help you work off some tension. Isn't that what any good girlfriend would do?" she inquired.

_We've been over this, she is not my girlfriend. She promised to keep this casual but clearly it had developed into something deeper for her. _

"I'm sorry Mara," his tone softened, " I don't mean to snap at you, now's just a bad time. We actually need to talk." He took a seat on the bed next to her.

He could feel how uncomfortable she was, he could sense her bracing herself for what he was going to say.

"I'm leaving in the morning. I put in my request for indefinite leave from C-Sec today. I'll be joining an Alliance vessel on a dangerous and highly classified mission..." _a smile broke across his face, he liked the sound of that_.

"I have no way of knowing when I'll be back. If... I'll be back. I think it will be better for you if you don't sit around waiting for me. You deserve better than that, better than I've been giving you. I'm at a place where my career has to come first. I never meant to hurt you," he expressed in a sympathetic tone. He could tell that was not what she was expecting.

_"Career_? What career? You'll be throwing it all away and for what, the Alliance? I just...I don't understand. How did all of this happen so suddenly?" Her shock was understandable.

"He must be one hell of a commanding officer to recruit you like this," she huffed.

"Yes, _she_ is. She's a newly appointed Spectre. The first human to hold the rank, actually. We share a mutual interest and it's to our advantage to pool our resources. She's putting together quite the crew. It is an amazing honor to be asked to join the mission," he was proud to respond.

"_Her?_" she said a little shakily. Mara's voice was different than he had ever heard her before.

"I saw her on the news the other day. There's no way she's going to last, she isn't ready, humans aren't ready." The young Turian female was not prone to racism, but it was a common sentiment among their people.

"I hear fraternization is allowed on human vessels, even between the Superior officers and their crew. I hope you'll have the decency to keep to yourself and focus on your mission, whatever it is. It must be good if you're really going ahead with all of this." _There was vulnerable quality to her voice, like she was threatened._

"I am, I already accepted! I leave at 0700," he said firmly.

"Well, I guess I better leave you to get ready then," she exhaled and stood up off of the bed.

Garrus stood up to meet her. He grabbed her ungloved hands and nuzzled her forehead. He really did care for her, she had been a good friend to him through his training at C-Sec and he did appreciate her _talents_.

"Take care of yourself, kid, you know I'll have Chellick keeping an eye on you," he remarked.

She smiled at that, and turned toward the door.

"Just promise you won't do anything stupid," she pleaded. "The Citadel won't be the same without you."

He saw the beginnings of a tear well up near the corner of her emerald colored eye before she hung her head and sped out of the apartment.

"Well, wasn't expecting that, at least it's over with," he muttered under his breath.

He sat back on the bed for minute and let his head hit the pillow, legs hanging over the edge. He took a moment to think of all the things he would be leaving behind. He expected to feel more apprehensive, but the thought of what lay ahead overwhelmed any shred of doubt he may have had. After making peace with what had happened he climbed to his feet and finished packing the few remaining items he would need to take with him, which amounted to one large duffel bag and of course his beloved sniper rifle, he could never leave her behind.

He couldn't sleep. He had been laying in bed staring at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity. He had finished writing to his parents so that they wouldn't worry when they tried to contact him at the Citadel. He knew it was Pallin's duty to inform his Father of his actions and he had to beat him to it. He spent a solid hour writing and re-writing the brief and very vague note. This is what he came up with.

_"Dear Father,_

_Just checking in to make sure you are doing alright. I thought I should let you know I will be relocating for awhile. One of my investigations will be better served outside of the C-Sec office. Try not to worry, I will keep you informed as much as I can about my whereabouts. I know you understand I will not always have permission to speak freely. When I bring this traitor to justice, the Vakarian name will be recorded in the history books for future generations to see. Make sure and give Mom my love._

_Garrus"_

He knew his letter was not sufficient, but he also knew nothing he could tell his Father about his decision could be. It would always end in disappointment.

Cargo in hand, Garrus was the first of his new colleagues to arrive at the docking bay. He had heard about the Normandy, but he could not have prepared himself for how magnificent she truly was. He looked upon her in disbelief.

"She's a beauty isn't she?" a female voice echoed over to him.

_Shepard! Where did she come from? He hadn't even heard a footstep._ He turned to attention!

"Just try not to drool on her too much, I promised Anderson I would return her just the way he left her!" she smiled and said.

He could see her twinge at the mention of Anderson's name. He had been her Captain, but they had pulled him off the case because of his history with Saren. Now he was stuck sitting behind a desk pushing papers, much like Garrus had been. He could understand her frustration.

"I'm sorry to hear about the situation with your Captain, he has an excellent reputation. I'm sure all of those politicians will benefit from having a soldier's perspective on this one. They can be... out of touch sometimes," he said.

"Thank you, Garrus right?" she said, seeking confirmation.

He nodded.

She continued, "I sure hope so. I've never had the privilege of serving under anyone better. If they can open their minds, he will be a great asset for them, for us..." her eyes looked off thoughtfully to the distance.

Garrus nodded in agreement. The elevator doors swung open, the familiar sound of it's music flooding the immediate area. Out stepped Wrex followed by a Quarian female, the one Shepard must have been talking about.

"Wrex, Tali, glad you could make it," Shepard greeted them.

Wrex grunted in response and Tali cheerfully acknowledged them both. He could tell she was just as excited as he was, he could see her eyes widen behind her mask perusing over the ship.

Soon, a middle aged Earth man appeared behind Shepard.

"Oh good, Pressly, I was beginning to wonder if you would show," she gave him a pat on the back. _Humans were sure fond of physical contact Garrus noted._

"Sorry Commander, I was just making sure the ship was prepared for her maiden voyage under your Command," he replied. His eyes glanced over the new recruits, he was cool and collected but his eyes betrayed his feelings toward the Commander's choices.

"Everyone, this is XO Pressly, he is my second in command, his word is like my own," she explained before continuing, "there are just a few things I would like to say before you come aboard. First, welcome! My ship is your ship and once you're on board you will function as part of a singular unit. I won't put up with any contentions while I am in charge. If you have a problem, come to me and if it can't be resolved I expect it to be left at your bed in the morning. I cannot afford anyone to be distracted. Agreed?" she said, demanding a reply.

This elicited some apprehensive groans before they responded with a unanimous, "Agreed!".

None of them knew what to expect from such a diverse crew.

"This is a dangerous mission. We don't really know what we're up against, but if the Geth are involved you can bet it's going to get ugly!" She proclaimed. Tali responded with an enthusiastic nod, she knew all too well what the Geth were capable of. She had spent her childhood learning about the wars between their two races. If you can call synthetic machines a "race."

"Some of you may not be up to speed, here is what little we do know," she paused to hand out electronic dossiers for them to look over. Garrus couldn't wait for the chance to read through it.

"I expect great things from each of you, I can see that you have much to offer to this crew. Don't make me regret the decision I have made here," she concluded her brief speech.

"I'll speak to each of you one on one once we break orbit, there will be a meeting in the Comm Room exactly 2:00 hours from now. Take your things and get settled where you feel comfortable." With that she and Pressly made their way onto the ship.

The Turian, the Krogan and the Quarian exchanged glances. There was no need for words between them, it was obvious they were all thinking the same thing. _This was going to be interesting._


	4. Chapter 4: All Aboard

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 4: All Aboard **

He didn't think any thing could be more impressive than the ship docked before him, until he cleared the decontamination chamber and caught his very first glimpse of the marvel she really was. He wasn't alone. He could hear the quarian let out a gasp of excitement as she entered at his heels.

"Keelah! Can you believe we'll be serving on an Alliance prototype?" she squealed. "Everyone back home is going to be so jealous. I hear she has IES stealth capability!" her voice reaching a shrill level.

"That's the _turian_ engineering," he interjected smugly. The Normandy may be under Alliance control but it was a co-developed with the help of the Turian Hierarchy and sponsored by the Council.

"Did you see that mass accelerator canon? Top notch," he added.

He hoped his enthusiasm wasn't quite as tangible as the starry eyed girl next to him, but he was giddy on the inside. _Play it cool Garrus._

"I'll be watching you!" the Pilot's voice rang from the cockpit. "Nothing happens on this ship that I don't know about. I expect all of you to treat her like a lady," the red haired male proceeded to whisper something presumably to the ship itself as he stroked the area next to the controls.

"Humans!" Wrex grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Outta my way," he pushed his way past Tali and Garrus and moved toward the Command Deck.

"Don't let him upset you, he's a Krogan, he can't help it," the Pilot said reassuringly to his ship.

_Talking to a ship? Were they all going to be this weird? Then again he had slipped in a few stolen words to his sniper rifle over the years, whom he __lovingly called Kam in memory of his grandmother Kamira._

The pilot spun around in his chair and extended his arm. Garrus recognized the human greeting and accepted the handshake.

He introduced himself, "The name is Moreau, best damned pilot in the Milky Way! People around here call me Joker. _You_ can call me Jeff," he said to Tali as he took her hand and brought it slowly to his mouth for a kiss. Although Garrus had never seen one like that before.

The young Quarian giggled and Garrus swore the skin beneath her mask flushed pink for a second.

"Pleased to meet you, but I really can't wait to see more of the ship, I should go" she said sheepishly turning to follow Wrex's footsteps.

"I could pencil in a private tour...if you..she's gone isn't she?" the Pilot asked, already knowing the answer. "Great," he muttered and spun his chair back around to face the controls once again. "You, well... you seem like a smart guy I'm sure you can find your own way around. I need to prepare for the FTL jump."

"Probably a good idea. It was nice to meet you Officer Moraeu," Garrus said.

"Later," was all Joker replied.

_Shepard is willing to place our lives in the hands of this guy? Maybe he had signed on too hastily._ He left the cockpit and made his way toward the Command Deck. There were a at least a dozen crew members manning this level. He recognized some of their faces from the Citadel. You gain a certain level of familiarity with faces while scrolling through thousands of immigration files at C-Sec.

The holographic interface on the ship's Galaxy Map was cutting edge, navigating would be a breeze. He wanted to touch it. _Don't overstep, it's your first day dammit._ He had already lost sight of Tali and Wrex. _Wonder where they wandered off to?_ He was now the only nonhuman on this tier of the ship. It made him a little uneasy. Most of the crew smiled as he walked by, throwing out a cordial "hello," or "welcome aboard!" But he could tell some were apprehensive, he felt their gaze lingering. _I wonder how much flack Shepard was getting for this?_ There was still a lot of residual tension between Turians and Humans from the First Contact War.

After beginning to feel familiar with this level, he was ready to see the rest of the ship. He made his way down the stairs and peeked around the crew quarters. The layout reminded him of Turian vessels he had been on. There wasn't much to see, just humans going about their routine duties. He wanted to see the heart of the ship. That's where he would feel at home. He signaled the elevator to take him to the Engineering Deck.

He was about to close the door when...

"Hold the elevator!" It was the young biotic from yesterday. "Thanks! Shepard wants me to check in with Engineer Adams before we leave, you know, one final inspection. She's really something isn't she?" a grin crossed his face.

"I'll say, a true marvel of engineering," he agreed.

"Engineering, really? Nah, I think she's more of the natural type. None of that modification business that everyone goes for nowadays," he replied.

He must have read the puzzled expression on Garrus' face. They exchanged an awkward glance.

"You were referring to the ship weren't you?" the Lieutenant said, clearing his throat and fiddling with his dark hair, clearly embarrassed.

_What else would I be referring to? Maybe they really were all going to be this strange._

"Oookay. So let's try this again. I'm Kaidan," he pressed the elevator control as if it would somehow make the elevator move faster.

"I looked over your file, your records are impressive. Best sniper in your class? Says you can hit a headshot from over 3,000 meters," he said, clearly working to change topics.

"You could say sniping has become my method of choice," Garrus said, trying to play it down, but only a little. He gave his rifle bag a tug. He didn't like that he knew nothing about the human in return except what he could presume from his biotic amp.

"Amazing!" Kaidan responded. The doors swished open and the Lieutenant bolted.

"Nice seeing you again Garrus, we should meet up later in the Mess. The chef's terrible at levo-meals, so I'd hate to see what he whips up for you and Tali. I'll show you some of my tricks, makes it edible at least! Oh and don't worry about Williams, her bark is worse than her bite... I think!" he hollered unsurely over his shoulder as he headed off around the corner.

He didn't know what to make of Alenko, he seemed sincere, but not professional enough for his taste.

The cot by the M35 Mako was still available and Garrus instantly knew where he would set up camp. It was a nice quiet corner, perfect for observing the behaviors of his new crew mates. He'd always wanted to drive the human all terrain vehicle next to him. He'd have to ask Shepard if she would be ok with him making some modifications to enhance it's performance. He had heard their shock absorption was terrible and he could easily improve it's cannon's accuracy by at least 20%.

Excited to be settling in, he sat down to finally look over the dossier he and the other new recruits had been given. He was anxious to see what really happened on Eden Prime.

_I knew it! I knew there was more to Nihlus' death._ At C-Sec he had been locked out of all the classified files surrounding the turian's final mission. While Garrus had never met the deceased Spectre he knew him very well. Garrus had always looked to him as a role model, he was the kind of man Garrus aspired to be. Nihlus was everything his Father despised in a Turian. Born outside of Hierarchy space, he had a reputation for defying direct orders. But his skills in battle were unmatched and he got results. It wasn't long before the Council took notice and teamed him with their top agent, Saren. Saren befriended Nihlus, mentored him... and according to the datapad he head also betrayed him with a shot to the back of the head.

A knot formed in Garrus' stomach. He had always suspected foul play, but Nihlus and Saren were like brothers. Garrus considered it his personal duty to avenge his former hero's death. _He would stop Saren at any cost..._

He continued reading, learning how Saren had been at Eden Prime to recover some sort of Prothean artifact. Why was he looking for relics from a society who had been extinct for thousands of years? He read how the Geth had been turning innocent bystanders into "husks," as they were calling them. Somehow converting them into mindless cyborg weapons. He learned how Shepard's mind had somehow interfaced with the Prothean device they found, believing it was some sort of Beacon. _She must be strong to survive something like that in tact, having ones mind exposed to something so forceful would break a lesser person. _

There was a short video at the end of the log. It was a transmission that had been sent right before the squad deployed.

_- *Pew pew, pew pew pew pew * bursts of light shone across the screen from the amount of shots fired. _

_"Get down!" a female Alliance soldier pushed the person recording into cover. _

_* pew pew, pew pew pew*_

_"We are taking heavy causalities, I repeat heavy causalities," another officer exclaims. "We can't get evac, they came out of nowher..." the audio cuts out. A reverberating noise sounds down from above. The video cuts to a marine, all color had drained from his face as he beheld whatever was coming toward them. He was frozen in place... horrified. The camera turns to face the impending threat , then the video goes black -_

_What in spirits name is that?_ It only matched the description of one thing he knew of. _It's not possible._

"Hey bird brain! Keep it down over there, living through that nightmare once was enough," interrupted the young woman across the hangar. Her icy stare matched the intensity of her request.

_Bird brain? Must be the "Williams" Kaiden warned me about._

"I apologize soldier. I had no idea it was so loud. To be honest, I was so wrapped up in the report I didn't see you there," he replied sincerely. He was struggling to form proper sentences after what he just watched.

"Yeah, yeah, just pay more attention next time. I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, 2nd Frontier Division. I don't know how it works on your ships, but here at the Alliance we actually try to get things done," she shot back.

_Kaiden wasn't kidding. _

"Understood, I won't bother you again," he said hoping to smooth things over. But he was met with cold silence as she returned to the console she had been working on.

-_ All new recruits and senior officer's report to the Comm Room for a mission planning conference,_ an automated voice chimed from the intercom.-

_Oh Spirits thank you!_ Garrus was grateful for the way out of the tense atmosphere that had developed in the room.

"Now that you should all be up to speed, I want your input," started Shepard.

The room was assembled like a round table of sorts, minus the table. The Commander didn't stand elevated above the rest, but rather sat amongst them, as if they were equals. Garrus had never been called to a meeting of his Superiors while serving in the military. He felt deeply honored to be asked his opinion.

Shepard continued...

"Together the Alliance and the Council have provided us with three leads as a jumping off point; One, there is an Asari archaeologist by the name of Liara T'Soni at a dig site in the Artemis Tau cluster. She is a renowned expert in the field of Prothean study, it is likely she would be able to help decipher the message I received from the Beacon on Eden Prime. Her knowledge could prove invaluable. Second, a human colony on Feros, home to an ancient Prothean metropolis, came under attack by the Geth. We need to supply emergency support to the colonists and find out what the Geth were looking for. Lastly, an Asari Matriarch, presumably the one from Tali's disc, was spotted on Noveria, where our sources say Saren is an investor in several privately funded Research Labs. The decision is ultimately my own, but I value your opinions. Where should we start?" she asked, opening the subject for discussion.

Alenko was the first to jump in.

"Commander, I think we should pick up Dr. T'soni. I saw what that Beacon did to you, it would have been me if you hadn't intervened. I think we'd all feel better if she had a look at you, made sure you were ok and clarified what you saw," he suggested, concern permeating his voice.

"Thank you Kaidan, I feel fine, but I will take that into account," replied Shepard.

"Commander, I think we should head to Feros. I couldn't help the colonists at Eden Prime," she paused and took a breath, "if there is any chance we can help save human lives there... well then that's what we're here for," said Chief Williams.

"Valid point Ashley, I know this has been difficult for you. But we have to remember that there is a bigger picture here, if Saren gets away countless more lives could be at stake. We can't let that happen and we have to prioritize accordingly," she said thoughtfully.

_Are they blind? There should be no debating here, it is obvious which mission should take priority._

"Commander Shepard. As you said, we are here to stop Saren. We can't afford to waste time with missions that may not bring us any closer to our goal! The only thing we know for sure is that Saren is working with the Asari matriarch on Noveria, we need to apprehend her before she gets away. She can lead us right to him," he said adamantly.

He was met with mixed reactions from the room, but he saw a few shake their head in agreement.

"Garrus, you make a good case. But if what we saw on Eden Prime really was a Reaper -" _Reaper, his instinct before had been right, but he never expected it could be true_ - "then there is a possibility Saren is being controlled. We are going to need all the information we can get and I think the images I saw may hold the key," she answered.

"I appreciate all of your input, it has been a big help in aiding my decision," she opened the Comm and established a connection with Joker.

"Jeff, Take us to the Artemis Tau cluster, planet Therum. We have an archaeologist to pick up! Everyone else, dismissed."

_Garrus couldn't help but the notice the smile on Kaiden's face. It fueled his irritation._

"For what it's worth I think you made the right decision Quinn," he said, giving her a pat on the arm and then following the rest of the crowd out of the room.

_Quinn? Did he have no decency calling his superior by their first name._

Garrus stayed behind after the room had cleared. Drawing Shepard's attention.

"Something the matter Garrus?" she asked.

"Permission to speak freely Sir," _he remembered she preferred Sir over Ma'am._

"Granted, I know it's not the case on a Turian ship, but you can always speak candidly with me Garrus," she affirmed.

"I think you're making a mistake! I know it's your decision, but I have been watching Saren and I know what he is capable of, he can't get away. You don't want that on your head!" he was losing his composure.

"You really think I don't know that? I was there on Eden Prime, I saw what he did to those colonists, to Nihlus. I want him more than anyone, but you didn't see what I saw. The Reapers are back, and that puts EVERYTHING we know at risk. Do you understand? I appreciate your recommendation, but we're going to Therum. There will be no more discussion," she said firmly.

At that Garrus clenched his teeth, holding back the snarl creeping up his throat.

"Yes _Ma'am,_ " he replied after pausing to restrain himself, and with that he left the room.


	5. Chapter 5: First Strike

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 5: First Strike **

If there was one thing Garrus had learned at C-Sec it was that he hated being overruled. There had been no hesitation when he joined the Normandy's crew, but maybe he was wrong to throw his support behind the young Commander so quickly.

_Maybe Mara was right, maybe Shepard can't handle this. She has a personal interest in picking up Liara, she may be the only one who can explain what happened to her when she linked with the Beacon. Her health seems fine and what's done is done. What more could the Doctor even tell her, they needed to be going directly for Saren. The mission should come before her own welfare. _

He paced back and forth across the hangar, stomping as he went. He even punched the Mako for good measure. But instead of calming his nerves, he found himself getting more agitated.

"I thought I had problems with authority," said Wrex from across the way.

He had settled in to the opposite corner of the hangar. It was just the two of them now, Ashley and the requisitions officer normally stationed there had retired to their bunks on the Crew Deck for the evening.

"I don't have problems with _all_ authority," the turian countered snidely.

"Only when it comes between me and my work, I'm here to get the job done and go home. You of all people should understand that," he said.

His statement hadn't been 100% accurate. Getting the job done _was_ his priority but part of him was hoping the opportunity to spend more time aboard the Normandy beyond their current mission would present itself.

"Home? I didn't peg you for wise guy. I am one of a dying breed thanks to your kind, and my brothers care more about fighting than keeping our race alive. Tuchanka has not been home in a long time, but I will change that in my lifetime. Right now, I'm just here for the ride. I think of it as an all expense paid vacation. I knew I liked Shepard as soon as she took care of that lowlife Fist back at Chora's Den. I've never met a human willing to step between me and my target before, let alone a female. When she asked me to come help save the galaxy, I knew she'd need a Krogan to get the job done," Wrex joked.

_It was hard for Garrus to accept that the Krogan's respect had been won over so quickly. _

"I was raised to believe all Krogan were bloodthirsty thugs, but you surprise me Wrex. Maybe you really are different," he admitted.

"The genophage is a lot easier to swallow when all Krogan are savage monsters, isn't it? Maybe you should head back to the Citadel kid, if you stay here in the real world you might have to learn something," he said with a mocking tone.

"You may just be right..." he hadn't expected Wrex's words to cut through him the way they did. They made him wonder what other preconceptions he had wrongly believed over the years. That's part of the reason he had signed up for this after all, to see what was really out there. Despite his time in the military, and spending a few years on the Citadel he had led a fairly sheltered life. This was the most exposed he had ever been to intergalactic diversity.

Their conversation had allowed him time to calm down, he was thinking more clearly again. _It may not have been the decision he would have made, but if the Reapers really were out there then maybe the Asari Doctor could be a necessary element in __the mission's success. They didn't even know for a certainty that the Matriarch on Noveria was Saren's ally, it had been hearsay._ He decided the best thing to do right now was to go to sleep and see how he felt in the morning.

_"Bird Brain, wake up!"_

Garrus was jolted awake by a hard object knocking the wind out of him. Chief Williams had launched his helmet from across the room with deadly precision.

"The Commander is coming!," she shouted. " We're 10 minutes out from Therum. Good luck beating me out for a spot on her team, I hear you're my only competition in the sniping department," she said self-assured. She clearly didn't consider Garrus a threat.

_The elevator doors swished open._

"Oversleep Garrus?" jabbed the Commander, with a sarcastic look on her face.

"How are your tech skills?" she asked him.

Still groggy he responded, "I ran more calibrations than anyone in my class, I know my omni-tool like the back of my hand. You know literally... it's on the back..." he decided it would be better to trail off and pretend he didn't just say that.

"I see what you did there," she giggled slightly and shook her head. "Suit up! You and Alenko are with me on this one. See Chris our requisitions officer for any specialty ammo you think you will need. He's pricey on his weapons though, I hope you brought your own."

He motioned to his rifle bag. "Don't worry about me Shepard, I've got all I need right here... and thank you for letting me tag along. I'll have your back."

"Damn right you will! I want you in the decon chamber in 10 minutes," she directed and made her exit.

He couldn't reason why she had picked him after their "incident" yesterday, but it sure felt good to turn to Ashley and say...

"I guess this lil' birdy gets to be the first to fly," his mandibles flared as the corners of his mouth widened into a malevolent smirk.

If looks could kill, Ashley was a stone cold assassin.

To Joker's credit he dropped the Mako with perfect accuracy at the drop point. _Was he the best pilot in the galaxy? That would remain to be seen, but it was still impressive._

Garrus believed the human word for the Mako's seating would be "cozy." Shepard was in front navigating, while he and Kaidan shared the bench in back. Garrus took charge of the cannon. They snaked their way past the automated turrets, mowing down any foot soldiers on their path. They continued following the nav screen to the coordinates where Joker had traced the Asari life signal. This was the first time Garrus had seen a Geth outside of a history book. _They were surprisingly humanoid he thought. He watched as his cannon burst hit it's target, causing a large geth armature to burst into flames, falling back to the earth as dancing pieces of synthetic ash._

"Nice shooting!" exclaimed Shepard.

"Well I only have one target left after you bulldoze the rest. I thought saving the galaxy from an evil mastermind was going to be difficult, stop hogging all the fun Shepard," Garrus protested with a chuckle. He had taken it upon himself to sneak in some last minute alignments to the Mako before he went to bed last night and he wanted to show her off, but it would have to wait til next time. They reached a point where they would have to continue on foot.

Garrus let out an audible sigh of relief when they exited the vehicle. While he was becoming more comfortable with the humans on board, he still preferred to avoid _that_ level of physical contact.

"I'm hurt Garrus, you just couldn't wait to get away from me," said the male biotic with a grin.

Garrus was almost sure he was joking. "Don't worry, it's not you, it's me. I'm sure earth women find you very attractive..." he said.

"I see, I appreciate your honesty" Kaidan said looking off, feigning disappointment.

"Alright lovebirds, take a break from the honeymoon, things are about to get interesting. Garrus, you're my point man, you have permission to fire, but we want to get in as quietly as possible. Kaidan, I want you to put up a barrier, give us some cover."

"Got it," said Kaidan.

"Right behind you Shepard," echoed Garrus.

_Therum was hot, reminded him of summers on Palaven. His mind wandered for a split second, a wave of memories of his irradiated home world rushed over him before he was thrust back into reality._

"COLOSSUS!' Shepard roared, pushing Garrus behind a large rock.

"Garrus I need you to Hack it's AI! Kaidan, Heavy Warp!" Shepard ordered.

_She gave orders like a Turian woman, firm, concise, lethal. He couldn't deny he liked it. _

"I will destroy you!" screamed Alenko, launching his biotic assault.

"Boom!" Garrus shouted as the VI's interface was incapacitated. It was momentarily defenseless.

"Garrus get those Stalkers, I'll handle this," she said, the adrenaline apparent in her voice. _She was enjoying this._

"Scoped and dropped!" he said satisfied with his victory. The stalkers moved lightening fast, defying gravity, attaching to any surface, any angle. There had been 4 of them, and 4 shots later there were none.

Most soldiers would have pulled out the big guns to take the mammoth opponent down, but Shepard simply reached around grabbing a single sticky grenade. She threw it with one forceful pass, it glided through the air and gracefully landed exactly where she had intended.

_There she goes, having all the fun again he mused. _

3...2...1, "Brace for impact!

The squad took cover. Even through their helmets the explosion rattled their senses. Turian ear drums were much better protected than human's but more sensitive. Garrus shook his head and made his way over to what was left of the slain Colossus, it was huge, dwarfing him by comparison. "Now that's what I call a trophy," he commended Shepard.

"If you play your cards right, maybe I'll let you have the next one," she closed one eye and immediately opened it again smiling back at him.

Garrus took note of the expression she made. _Was he supposed to mimic it back?_ He wasn't sure, instead he just gave her a grin. "I gave you that one Shepard, I'll be waiting for round 2."

"We sure showed them!" Kaidan strolled over, obviously late to the party.

Garrus and Shepard exchanged a glance. _Sure __**we**__ did._

Extracting Liara had been difficult. After wandering through the excavation site they found her suspended in some sort of Prothean stasis field, there was also a barrier preventing them from reaching the Prothean controls to free her. After fighting off another wave of geth, they located the mining laser's control panel. With help from his omni-tool Garrus was able to use it to blow a hole through the wall so they could make their way around and come up on the other side of the barrier.

"Thank you, I was beginning to think I would be stuck here forever. Please, get me down from here before more geth arrive. The button to your left should release me," the young asari pleaded.

Shepard made her way to the controls, releasing Liara to the floor.

"How did you get trapped in here in the first place?" Shepard asked.

"When the geth arrived I knew the barrier could protect me, but I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to," she admitted. "I'm still so confused, why would the geth be coming after me?"

"Liara, this may be hard to hear but your mother matched the description of the asari Matriarch that has been reportedly working with a rogue Spectre named Saren, " Shepard explained.

_Liara's mother? Why didn't Shepard mention this in the meeting yesterday? Her choice to start here made so much more sense now. I guess I should have had more faith in her..._

"You think Benezia has something to do with this? I haven't spoken to her in years! But why would her and this Saren be interested in me?

"Saren is looking for a Prothean artifact, you're a Prothean expert. He probably thinks you can help," suggested Kaidan.

_The structure began to shake_ -

"These ruins are not stable, the laser must have triggered a seismic event," said Liara. "We need to hurry!"

"Any idea how to get out of here?" asked Kaidan.

"There is an elevator by the tower you passed on your way to free me... at least I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here, come on!" she replied, tentatively sure. "Keep on the watch, there was a Krogan Battlemaster with the geth."

Shepard got on her comm "Joker, get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!"

"Aye aye Commander. Secure and aweigh, ETA 8 minutes!" replied the Normandy's pilot.

They ran for the elevator, everything was beginning to cave in around them. They shared a sigh of relief as they reached the platform and prepared to be lifted to safety... and then they saw him. The Krogan Battlemaster and his geth backup approached them.

"Surrender or don't, that would be more fun!" he said.

"We don't have time for this," Shepard muttered just loudly enough for her squad to hear. "Garrus you wanted your shot, take him out!"

He reacted instantly, in one fluid motion he brought the scope to his face and took the shot. The Krogan went down, but a minute later began to stand up again._ Stay down! _Garrus unleashed another brutal shot. He would not be getting up again in this lifetime.

_Garrus had forgotten how tough Krogan could be._

Shepard and Kaidan cleared out the geth that had been with him and they finally began their ascent. The elevator reached the top floor and the squad sprinted their way up the entry tunnel, dodging debris and just clearing the doorway before it collapsed behind them. Out of breath they climbed onto the Normandy.

_Garrus didn't know where they would go next but he did know he liked this ship!_


	6. Chapter 6: Can't We All Just Get Along

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story. **

**Chapter 6: Can't We All Just Get Along? **

Garrus watched as everyone funneled out after the mission debriefing, except for Shepard of course who had to stay behind to speak with the Council.

Their newest recruit, an asari archaeologist named Liara had been very insightful. They knew Saren was looking for an artifact known only as the "Conduit." The only information Liara could offer was that it had been related to the extinction of the Prothean race. She had spent the last 50 years trying to figure out what had happened to them. Because of her relative youth among the asari people, her theories had not received much attention... until now. The Protheans had left remarkably little evidence behind, she said, _'it was as if someone had come along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues.'_ But that wasn't the interesting part, she also mentioned that her research had shown the Protheans had not been the first race to suffer this fate, it was a cycle that started long before them. She did not have anything solid to prove her theory, but said after half a century of hunting down every scrap of evidence in the galaxy that it was a more of a feeling she had developed. She was sure that the galaxy continued in a cycle of extinction, where one society would spread it's reach throughout the known universe only to be destroyed and have a new society build itself up over the ruins. Shepard informed her that she knew what had happened to the Protheans, she had seen it. They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines, the Reapers. _The name Reapers still shot a shiver down Garrus' spine. _When Liara found out that Shepard had interacted with a working Prothean Beacon she understood why Saren would go to such lengths, the information she now knew was unparalleled. They decided to adjourn when Liara become lightheaded, no doubt from the stress of recent events. Shepard wanted her to go see Dr. Chakwas and make sure she was ok.

"Welcome aboard Liara," Garrus greeted their newest member.

"Thank you. I have never seen such a diverse crew before. With all that has been going on I cannot think of any place I would be more safe. It is hard to wrap my head around this situation. I have spent my whole life researching what the Commander had revealed to her in one minute on Eden Prime," she said a little unsteady on her feet.

"Careful Dr.," he grabbed her arm offering his support. "It's hard to deny that these developments are disturbing. But we're the only people in the galaxy with the ability to stop the cycle from happening again and that's what we're going to do." _It unnerved him that he talked about this "cycle" as if it really were an inevitable reality._

"I hope you are right Garrus," she replied solemnly.

"Here, follow me, we need to get you down to see Chakwas. With a quick checkup and a good nap you'll be in a much better place," he offered.

"I doubt if I'll ever sleep again, but I would appreciate you showing me the way to the examiner's office," she replied.

They made their way downstairs. He noticed Kaidan and Ashely sitting at the mess table, deep in conversation. Ashley was looking at him in a way he'd never seen her before. _Was it vulnerability?_

After escorting Liara to the med bay, Garrus decided to excuse himself.

As he was leaving she grabbed his shoulder and said, "Thank you again Garrus, not just for navigating me through the ship. But you helped save my life today, I will forever be in your debt..."

"I'm sure you would have had that Krogan covered. I've never been at the receiving end of an asari's wrath before, but working at C-Sec I've seen the vids, I'd never wanna piss you off."

She giggled as he walked out the door. _Still got it, he thought._ He made his way to the elevator, he needed to work off some anxiety from learning the weight of the situation they faced. Maybe Engineer Adams would let him run some calibrations on the ship's battery.

"Mind if I join you?" he recognized the voice of the Commander as she stepped into the elevator.

"By all means," he responded.

"Garrus, I just wanted to take a second to clear the air..."

"No need Shepard, I was out of line. This is your mission and I chose to come along. I am honored you even asked my input. I just want to know why you didn't mention that Benezia was Liara's mother, I would have understood better."

"I was under strict direction from the Council not to say. The asari don't want it going public that there is a Matriarch involved in this, at least not until we have questioned her. Besides, you didn't need to know. It was my call. You know Harkin warned me that you were a hothead, said you still had delusions that you could _"change the world."_ I'm glad he was right, because that's what we're here to do. I'm glad you were able to put your personal feelings aside and have my back out there."

"You have one of the better backs to watch," he replied mischievously.

Shepard gave him a playful punch in the arm. "I knew I liked you Vakarian, you make me laugh. I'm glad I have you to take my mind off of this mess for a second."

"Glad to be of service." _It felt strange talking so casually with his superior, but Shepard had a way of making you feel like you had known her your whole life._ "Commander, before you go... I wanted to ask. I noticed some of the guns have been having issues with premature ejection, I think a pair of skilled hands like mine could make a world of difference, otherwise you may just end up shooting blanks."

The Commander giggled, her cheeks slightly red, "I do hate when that happens, knock yourself out" she said forcing back a laugh. "If you can make anything on this ship perform better then I want your hands all over it!" she repeated the same human expression she had earlier on Therum, closing one eye while keeping the other open.

_What did that expression mean? And he failed to see what she had found so funny. Premature ejection was no laughing matter._

"Thank you Commander," he replied puzzled.

"Please, call me Quinn. See ya around Garrus."

The doors opened and she exited the elevator.

Garrus was hovered over the Mako, happily working to stabilize it's thrusters. He had just finished going through the weapons lockers, with Shepard's permission, fixing the matter he had discussed. He brought his omni-tool to his mouth and made a request. "Look up common human facial expressions." The device popped up with several choices, there was the "eye roll," the "evil glare, "the jaw drop," he scrolled through them all and settled on "the wink."

_The wink, he read, is a common facial expression of humans with a wide variety of applications. It consists of rapidly closing one eye, (sometimes the action is extended for emphasis or comic effect) while keeping one's other eye open. For humans it is usually used as a playful gesture, it is often indicative that something suggestive has been said and frequently used as a means of "flirting." _

_**Flirting**__? I see. He was intrigued by this possibility. But he was sure it had been used comically instead._

Because of his keen turian hearing, Garrus was able to overhear a conversation across the room that Ashley was having on her Comm Screen. It was her sister Sarah. They chatted awhile. Ashley bragged about the Normandy, inquired about their other sisters, asked what she was missing on earth. Her sister mentioned she had seen Shepard on the news.

"That Kaiden Alenko with her was pretty cute!" she said.

"Hey, _shhh._ I don't need everyone on the ship to hear this."

"Why? You think he's cute too don't you?" her sister prodded.

"Kaidan is great soldier, he's one of the most powerful I have ever met. All the other guys on this ship are either old enough to be Dad, or probably have four testicles. He's... well... yes, he's cute to say the least." she blurted.

"Oh my god! You like him? I' haven't seen you this red since Reggie back in Alliance training school. You deserve a little happiness, I say go for it."

"Shut up! We'll see what happens. We're just friends. I have some guns to go clean or something... later sis!"

"La-"

_Ashley closed the comm link. _

_Part of him felt glad to have something to hold over her head, but Garrus knew he would never share her secret._ He had noticed the attention she had been giving Kaidan... but he hadn't noticed any thing in return from him. He was enjoying his anthropological studies of his crew mates.

Ashley spun around to make sure no one had been within earshot only to find herself face to face with Shepard.

"Hey Ash, you mentioned after the debriefing that you wanted a word with me?" inquired the Commander.

"Oh right, I did. You just surprised me... you didn't happen to hear any of that did you?" she said with a panicked expression on her face.

"Hear what? I just came from the battery."

"Oh thank God! My little sister, she's sweet, but she can be a little embarrassing," she said relieved.

"You have a sister?"

"Yes, 3 of them actually. We're very close. With Dad being deployed all the time, I practically raised them. Dad always got the run around, they never even appointed him above Servicemen third class," she said bitterly. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." She lowered her voice, " I know things are different on the Normandy... but... uh... I'm concerned about the aliens. Vakarian and Wrex especially. With all due respect should they really have full access to the ship?"

_That's bold, even for Ashley. He knew she was a little hesitant about his presence, but never thought she would go so far as to mention it to Shep...Quinn, she told me to call her Quinn...his ears perked up to listen to her reply._

"I have an open door policy Williams, if there's something you need to say then out with it," said Quinn.

"This is the most technologically advanced ship in the Alliance Fleet, I don't think we should give them free reign to poke around the vital systems, engines, sensors,_** weapons**_," she said pointedly.

_Garrus could feel the accusation in her voice as her eyes darted toward him. They had a word on Palaven for women like her..._

"You don't trust the Alliance's allies chief?" _Garrus was sensing irritation in Shepard's voice_.

"I'm not sure I would call the Council Races _**allies**_._** We**_, humanity, can rely on ourselves," she said.

"I trust that's not insubordination talking," the Commander alleged.

"No... no Ma'am! It's just, no matter how noble the Council races may seem, when there back is against the wall they will abandon us!"

"Your personal views are just that Williams, personal, I can't change that. But if I see it affect the way you treat your fellow crewmen we're going to have a problem," _it was clear she was reaching the end of her rope._

"My father, grandfather, and great grandmother all picked up their rifle and pledged themselves to the service. I guess we just think of humanity's interests as our own."

_That did it, _"I expect you to keep your family politics to yourself, this mission is going to be difficult enough without you picking fights with our friends. Don't make me regret not leaving you on Eden Prime."

"Aye aye Ma'am. I better get back to work," Ashley said frazzled.

"I think that would be best," said Quinn.

_Wow. He hadn't expected her to be so rough on Ashley, her views may be ignorant but they were fairly common among humans. The First Contact War was still fresh enough to keep distrust alive. He was glad she didn't know how he used to feel about Krogans. Wrex was right, he really was learning out here._

Later on that night Garrus was up in the mess trying to enjoy his dinner. Dextro foods were commonly regarded as unappetizing and "gross" by humans and after trying the Mess Sergeant's meal of the day, he could see why. Luckily Tali could sympathize with him, he heard her groan as she fed the paste into her suit to be sterilized and fed through an elaborate system of mechanisms and tubing._ At least my food is solid, he thought thankfully._

"Engineer Adams is so nice!" Tali said happily. "I have been learning so much, this may be the most exciting pilgrimage ever. I can't believe I get to fight the Geth and chase down Saren!"

"Careful, I'd hate to see you get too excited and choke on your nutrient paste," Garrus said.

She scowled, "don't remind me. I can't wait to taste a real meal again! But if that's the sacrifice I have to make to be here, then I am ok with it. You should keep me company one of these days, put that omni-tool to use! Well I better go, I promised to check in with Mom, I haven't talked to her since we broke orbit on the Citadel. She worries too much. One bad thing about being a Quarian, being an only child can be a chore."

"So can having a little sister. Have a good night Tali, maybe I can stop by tomorrow. I have been dying to run some calibrations on the forward battery."

"Goodnight, Garrus."

As Tali made he way to the lower level, Garrus turned his attention to the two humans talking behind him. It was Kaidan and Ashley.

"Sound like she really came down on you," Kaidan said.

"Yeah, it was rough. I didn't mean any disrespect, I'm just concerned. This mission is important, that's all."

"You think she doesn't know that. She has the weight of the galaxy on her shoulders right now, and the Council won't even admit there is a threat in the first place. I'm sure she didn't mean to snap. But I've spent time with Garrus and Wrex, they're valuable members of the team. I am sure she was just hoping you would give them a chance. Don't let it get you down, just make sure and listen to what she said. She cares about you Ash, I know she does. We all want you here."

"_You_ want me here Kaidan?" she asked.

He reached his arm up to rub the back of his neck and averted his gaze, unprepared for her advance. "Well of course Ash, you're a great soldier and a good friend. You're like the sister I never had," he responded, clearly trying not to put too much weight in his words.

"Oh... uh thanks. Right back 'atcha," she gave him an awkward pat on the arm._ Garrus knew she was disappointed_. "Well I should get some sleep... I'll see you at breakfast before the pre-mission debrief?"

"Of course, sweet dreams Ash," Kaidan said.

"Have a good night Garrus," Ashley said through clenched teeth as she passed by.

"Thanks Ash, I will now, I _can_ call you Ash right?" he replied. _He knew she was probably just trying to save face, but maybe she was trying_.

She exhaled loudly, "Why the hell not, just don't push your luck Vakarian!"

After Ashley left the room Kaidan made his way over to where Garrus was sitting and pulled up the chair across from him.

"Man, what was that about? I sure hope she doesn't think there is anything going on here. Gotta keep focused on the mission and all that."

Garrus kept quiet and sipped on his routine post dinner cup of mogue.

"You don't seem to mind when the Commander gives you that kind of attention... well at least that 's the way it seemed on the mission earlier."

A bead of sweat formed on the human's brow, "Quinn? What? pffffttt... No! She's just... sure she's beautiful...smart...amazing in battle. I respect that. With her I am simply giving my superior the attention she deserves.

"Riiiiggghht." Garrus replied.

"Heck I couldn't stop looking at you out there today, you were a beast! You had those guys down before I could even launch my attack."

"Who me? You'll make me blush. Couldn't do it without Kam by my side, she can read my mind, she takes the bullet exactly where I want her to go." He read the look of confusion on the face across the table, "my rifle!"

"Oooohh, gotcha."

"To your credit, I have never seen a such a powerful warp before, there aren't many turian biotics. It's impressive."

"Thank you, I'm just glad I got lucky and the only side affects I have to suffer are occasional headaches. I lost a lot of good friends from back at the academy, these L2 implants are nasty. The turians were smart to stay away. Thank god for Dr. Chakwas, she takes good care of me."

"I read the reports on them, I am glad you were spared, and sorry for your losses."

"Thanks Garrus, it's good to have you here. I guess I should call it a night, got that meeting at 0600 before we dock on Feros, the situation with the colonists has gotten worse. Sounds like we'll have our work cut out for us."

"I hope were not too late, I'm going to enjoy another round with the geth. It will bring us one step closer to stopping Saren and finding out what he is doing with the Reapers."

"Damn right! Have a good night Garrus!"

"You too Kaidan."


	7. Chapter 7: Man Down

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard...eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story.**

**Chapter 7: Man Down **

"Out of the way!" Kaidan shouted, Shepard laying limp in his arms as he sprinted toward the Normandy. "Stay with me."

"Kaidan, there is a Doctor here in the settlement, I'm sure he could take a lo.."

"NO! She's seeing Chakwas," he replied, cutting him off.

"Kaidan," the Commander whimpered, "I...I'm fi..fi..fine. Rea... really... the colonists." She drifted back out. The neuro-toxin was wreaking havoc on her internal systems.

"It's ok, everyone please just step aside, we have a man down," Garrus said as he parted the sea of newly conscious colonists that had formed around them. "We need to get her to a Doctor!"

They moved past the crowds and as they neared the ship Garrus turned to Kaidan and said, "I should really stay, make sure they're ok, they're disoriented, confused. I'll join you as soon as I can!"

_He wanted to make sure she was ok, but they needed someone right now._

"Right! Thank you Garrus," Kaidan replied and boarded the ship.

Until the last 10 minutes the mission had been a great success. They had discovered the reason the Geth had been targeting Feros. It was a sentient plant that had existed there for countless ages. It possessed telepathic abilities that allowed it to turn the minds of it's unsuspecting victims into defenseless servants of it's will. It turned some into dangerous "creepers," who could spray a potentially lethal toxin that completely bypasses shields. It had insidiously taken control of the human colony there, some resisted, but eventually the pain became too much, even for the strong-willed to resist. All of this had been allowed to go on by the Exo-Geni Corp, whose initial interest had been limited to the Prothean ruins around the settlement. But soon they began using the colonists as a control group to study the abilities of the creature there. They watched everything from their headquarters across the skyway until the Geth showed up.

The Thorian had existed in the time of the Protheans, it had absorbed their consciousness just as it was doing with the current inhabitants. The knowledge it had gained from them could be used as a cipher to understand what had been seen by Saren and Shepard through the beacon on Eden Prime. The cipher was shared with Shepard through a mind link with an asari that Saren had offered up as a sacrifice to the Thorian in exchange for the knowledge he sought. Saren had betrayed the Thorian after getting what he needed, leaving the creature hostile toward the Normandy's squad that followed. It launched wave after wave of formerly dormant creeper's against them, as well as clones of the asari he had been given... not to mention there were still lingering Geth scattered through the area. They had been left no choice but to destroy the Thorian, releasing the asari slave and the colonists from it's control.

They had miraculously been able to do all of this while preserving all of the colonists unharmed, despite how violent they had become defending their captor. It was almost time to celebrate when it happened... all it took was one. After all of the dozens they had already fought off, it was just one.

"Commander!" Garrus had tried to warn her, but it was too late. None of them had seen it in time.

A single creeper, the lone survivor showered Shepard's helmet with toxic sludge, it breached her armor and she began to aspirate in her suit. She hit the ground as he and Kaidan simultaneously launched their attacks, utterly destroying the assailant.

_Quinn! It was more difficult to see her so helpless than he would have anticipated._

In a flash Kaidan had collapsed at her side placing his ear on her chest. "Quinn! Quinn, can you hear me? Please, please be ok!" he pleaded.

"Is she breathing?" Garrus demanded.

"Yes, her vitals are there, but they're weak."

They both watched as she spasmed, writhing in pain.

_That damn Thorian! Controlling their minds isn't enough? He had to do this? _

"It must be a neuro-toxin, it's attacking her nervous system. She can probably hear us, but it would explain why she can't answer," Garrus growled.

"I can't see her like this! I'm getting her back to the ship," Kaidan scooped the Commander into his arms and started heading off toward the landing point.

"Right behind you!"

The colonists had many questions for Garrus. They couldn't remember the events of the past few hours. He worked his hardest to address their concerns, he even helped them get their utilities back online which had been damaged in the Geth onslaught. They were in need of leadership. Fai Dan, their previous leader had become a casualty of the conflict, taking his own life when he defied the Thorian, refusing to shoot at the ground squad. Shiala, the asari they had rescued from the Thorians's control volunteered her services. Exo-Geni also offered funding as if to make up for the crimes they had committed against the people there. It was going to be a rough road but Garrus was confident they would be able to rebuild now.

"Thank you Shiala," Garrus said, " they'll be much better off with you here to help."

"It's the least I can do. When I was joined with the Thorian I could feel these people's pain, I even attacked you. I need to atone for what I can," her voice was filled with sorrow from what she couldn't take back, but hope for what she could contribute to the future.

"It's not your fault what Saren did to you."

"I had allied myself with him, I let myself be fooled by his charisma. I thought I was on the right side. Never again will I be so blind..."

"I respect how you can keep your perspective after what's happened to you. If someone betrayed _me_..." he trailed off. "We're going to make Saren pay!" he slammed his fist into his palm.

"I wish you luck Garrus. I hope you and your team can return one day."

"As do I," Garrus replied. "I know the Commander will be eager to hear about your progress."

The onlooking colonists joined together asking him to please thank the Commander and their team for saving them.

"I will..."

Overcome by their gratitude he waved goodbye and boarded the ship.

"Have you heard anything Joker? Is she going to recover?"

"I haven't heard anything since Kaidan brought her on board, but she's one tough son of a bitch, I do know that much," he replied.

_I know, that's why this mission needs her._

He made his way down to the Med Bay and was met at the door by Liara.

"Oh Garrus, I'm so sorry! It must have been stressful down there. I hear you stayed to help the colonists, that's very noble of you. If there is anything you need, or you want to talk, I am always free," she offered and came in for a hug.

He had't been expecting that and awkwardly fumbled, struggling with where to put his hands.

"Thanks Liara, overall the mission was a great success. Just wait until you hear the report, what we found! I just want to make sure Shepard is ok," he said.

"Of course, how rude! I am delaying you, apologies," she excused herself and left Garrus standing in front of the door.

Garrus took a deep breath, preparing for the worst. _He needed her to be ok... he needed her to stop Saren! The Normandy needed her._

The doors swished open. Doctor Chakwas was at her desk reviewing scans while Kaidan sat in a chair by the bedside, with his hand resting atop Shepard's.

"Garrus!" he stood up and ran over, pulling him into his embrace.

_Are turians the only ones in the galaxy who don't hug?_

"Thank you for staying behind. I know I kind of lost my head back there, I was just so worried. It should be me on that bed, I should have stopped that thing," Kaidan said.

"We did what we could Kaidan. Sometimes it just comes down to chance. We thought we'd got them all."

"Still... this will _never_ happen again!" he said determinedly.

Garrus turned his attention to the Doctor, "How is she Doc?"

"She got lucky. She arrived just in time, the acid was unable to make contact with her skin so she won't have any permanent scarring. The toxin aspirated and spread quickly through her body. I gave her a neuro suppressant to stop the spasms and sedatives to allow her to rest. Her body should be able to work out the rest. Without prolonged exposure to the toxin the symptoms will disappear. She should awake no worse for the wear."

"Thank the Spirits!" he exclaimed with a relieved sigh.

"She's lucky to have you two," said Chakwas.

"Lucky would be if this never happened," Garrus replied.

He walked over to Shepard's side. He wanted to stay, to make sure she was really ok. But it was obvious Kaidan had it covered.

"Don't get any ideas Alenko, she may be unconscious but she's still Shepard. Prepare for one hell of a punch if your hands start to wander."

"I may not be the brightest, but I'm not crazy Garrus," he replied, blushing slightly.

"We'll see..." muttered Garrus under his breath.

It was quiet below deck, too quiet. He needed a distraction and he got one, from an unexpected source.

"Hey bird bra... hey Garrus," she self-corrected.

"Hey _**Ash**_!"

Ashley flinched. _He loved making her uncomfortable._

"I hear things got crazy down there."

_Now she's going to rant on about how if she'd been there none of this would have happened and how he couldn't be trusted, blah blah blah, like this day wasn't tiresome enough. _But to his surprise she didn't.

"You did a good thing helping all of those colonists. You were able to protect them in a way I had failed on Eden Prime," she was obviously pained by what she was recalling to mind.

_Great, now I feel like a dick._

"You were taken by surprise, we knew what we were headed into, prepared," he replied.

"I guess... doesn't make it any easier. I'm so glad you and Alenko are ok. I hear Shepard wasn't so lucky..." she trailed off and began shifting her weight, fidgeting. "He's really worried about her isn't he?"

_She's really asking __**me**__ about this?_

"You mean Kaidan? Well, I mean, we both were of course. It was really hard to tell how bad the damage was. I think his instincts just took over. It would have been the same with anyone else. Besides, she's fine," he tried to downplay how upset Kaidan had been.

"Maybe you're right. It's never easy to see a teammate down. He took Jenkins death really hard!"

"Exactly. It's a natural human response, anyone else would have reacted the same."

"I'm surprised to see you down here, seems like you and the Skipper have been becoming good friends. I mean you've been on every away mission," she said.

"Well, I was up there... but she needs to rest. Wouldn't want to risk making her cranky."

_He had never really thought of the Commander, of Quinn, as a friend before. But reflecting over the past few weeks, maybe Ashley was right._

"You're telling me, learned that the hard way... well I should really get back. I'll see you around I guess."

_Could the ice queen really be melting?_

Joker's voice came on over the Comm. "Alright people, just cause the Commander was laid up doesn't mean you all get to slack off. By the way, she's awake, so vacation's over! She wants all Senior Officers and Auxiliary Ops in the debriefing room in 30 minutes. Joker out!"

_Damn, she really is one tough son of a bitch_


	8. Chapter 8: Justice

**Honor's Boundary -**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**Pairing: Shepard... Eventually**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story. **

**Chapter 8: Justice**

Garrus didn't like asking for favors, he would have to to dig deep and bury his pride. _It was his own fault that he had to ask in the first place, he thought. Dammit! If he had just gotten the job done the first time... _

On a Turian ship it would be unheard of to present such a request to your Superior, maybe even resulting in suspension. But he had seen how Quinn had helped Wrex acquire his family's armor and after his discussion with Ashley, maybe he and the Commander really were becoming friends. But what if the delay cost them the mission? Every minute was valuable, another opportunity for Saren to slip through their grasp. But, he couldn't let it go. He knew she would would be coming out of the debriefing room soon. Maybe this was a bad time, the Council usually left her in a foul mood. _No time, here she comes, say something!_

"Commander Shepard takes it in the face like a Champ!" he blurted.

Shepard turned and stared back with the most deadpan expression possible.

_Oh crap, way to go Garrus! That __**was**__ a compliment right?_

Suddenly she doubled over in laughter, clutching her stomach, "You bastard making me laugh like that, thank God for all the pain meds. You are one smooth operator Garrus Vakarian," she said through broken laughter.

_Damn, I really need some human friends, this is getting embarrassing._

She must have read the confusion in his face, "Oh man," she chuckled, "You really have no idea what you just said do you? I imagine things are different on Palaven... I can't say turian sexuality is an area I'm familiar with."

_Spirits, he had said something explicit! What would that mean? Ideas began racing through his head, what could that mean... it couldn't be... really? No! But how? Why? It couldn't be... Did humans participate in hand to hand combat in mating? He drifted off in a sea of possibilities..._

"Garrus, hello?" she said waving her hand in front of his face.

"Oh, Shepard, I'm sorry I don't know what came over me. I haven't spent a lot of time around humans, but I seem to have a a knack for sticking my foot in my mouth. I just meant there aren't many people I've known that could bounce back from an injury like that, let alone continue command of a ship like the Normandy as if nothing had happened."

"I'm not going to pretend it didn't hurt like hell. I mean you always hear about how nasty acid is, but it's not exactly something you would ever really think you'd feel first hand. It's something you only see in movies. I'm just thankful I had you and Kaidan with me, it could have been a lot worse."

He nodded, "We had a summer home on Palaven, my parents thought it was a good place for us to get a break from all of the steel and sterility of city life. As a boy I would spend all day running through the meadows with my sister, I would play Spectre and she would be a Turian Agent on some classified recon mission. Such a Daddy's girl, even when he wasn't watching. Anyway, the radiation had rendered most of the pools there volatile, they were beautiful, clear, pristine; but that's because anything that came in contact with them would quickly corrode away into non-existence. One day Sol and I were racing back to our yard, we had stayed out too late and we both knew what that meant if we were caught. I was in the lead but she was on my heels. I turned back to gloat, not paying attention to where my feet were going. Her eyes widened as her face shifted from a scowl to panic, but it was too late. I tripped head first into a shallow pool. It was so long ago, my makeshift armor had protected me slightly, but I still remember the fire that spread across my skin, felt like I was boiling alive. Three seconds felt like an eternity. Of course I didn't want Mom to worry so I stole all of the medi-gel in the house, covering my body from head to toe and said I had spent too much in the sun... a thin veil she saw right through. Nothing gets past her, she's far too preceptive!..." he smiled, recalling simpler times. "I'm sorry to drone on, you didn't need a history lesson, I just...I felt your pain."

"No wonder turians are so tough, you stare death in the eye in your own backyard! And I don't mind, really, it's nice to get to know Garrus the man, not just Garrus the bad-ass "ex-cop," she said. "Was there something else you had been wanting to discuss? You seemed pretty distracted in the the debrief?"

_Right! He couldn't believe he had gotten so far off topic. She was just so easy to talk to. _

"Yes actually, I received a message from one of my colleagues at C-Sec. We found the tracking signal of a ship being used by a criminal I was tracking prior to the Saren case."

"What happened with the case?"

"I was tasked with tracking black market trade on the Citadel. I had noticed a surge in the trade of body parts, organs mostly. They are a common black market item, but never in the numbers we were seeing. At first we didn't know if it was new lab, or if some psycho was harvesting organs from citizens."

"And?"

"It was both actually. Our first break came from a DNA test on one of the livers in question. I traced it back to a Turian living there on the Citadel, the weird part was not only was he alive, but also very convinced that he had never lost his liver. After some digging I found out that he had briefly worked for a Salarian geneticist named Dr. Saleon. I went to his lab hoping to find any evidence of cloned organ development, but there was nothing. Not one Krogan testicle!"

"Ummm... you're kidding right? Why would anyone want Krogan testicles?"

"Some Krogan believe that testicle transplants can increase their virility, counteracting the effects of the genophage. It doesn't work, but it makes them highly valuable, some go for $10,000 a piece, that's up to $40,000 for a full set!"

He watched as she pondered over that for a minute.

"Huh..." she said, shaking her head, "So... what did you do about Saleon?"

"We called in some of his employees for questioning, at first it looked like it was going to be a dead end. But, then one of my detainees began bleeding profusely during his interview. We offered to help him out, patch him up, but he became frantic! Of course I ordered a full medical exam. They found incisions all over his body, some fresh. He had been turned into a test tube. These people were walking, living test tubes. Saleon was cloning their organs right inside their own bodies then selling them off. Many of his victims were poor, just needing the money to get by. But they only got paid if they developed perfectly, otherwise he would just leave it in there. The worst part was that no one could tell, these people were walking around, a mess, but only on the inside."

"That's sick! You put him down right?"

_He didn't want to tell her. _He could feel his blood boiling as he replied, "He ran, he made it to a ship and threatened to kill the hostages if we tried to stop him. By the time I found out they had already broken away from the space port. I ordered Citadel defense to shoot him down but I was countermanded. They were worried about the hostages and collateral damage of a ship being shot down so close to the Citadel. I told them they were dead any way, but they wouldn't listen," he snarled.

"No wonder you signed on to come with me, I can't believe they let him just get away! But I understand their concerns..."

"I marched right in to see Pallin and made sure to tell him just what I thought of him and his policies, he said if I didn't like it I could quit, I almost did..."

"Was that when I bumped into you?"

"Oh, um no...that was a different time."

"Uh huh... interesting! So you know where this butcher is?"

"Yes. He changed ship's and his name to Dr. Heart, his idea of a joke I guess."

The Commander winced in revulsion.

"His new ship is bound for Noveria, a place well known for looking the other way on more unsavory business dealings, as long as you have the money of course. It's perfect! The Normandy could overtake it easily, we could finish the job and barely alter our course, we'd arrive within hours of our original arrival time on Noveria. It's your call."

"I joined the Alliance to help save lives, to make a difference. I never dreamed it would take me here, with the lives of billions resting on our shoulders," she said, visibly strained. "But I won't compromise the lives of a few on the path to save the many, at least not when I have a choice. I'll sleep better knowing he can't hurt anyone else. Let's get that son of a bitch!"

He hoped she would never have to make that choice, but he knew the inevitability of their situation. At some point she would… and she would have his support.

"Thank you Commander, I'll transfer the coordinates to Joker," he said.

A smile broke on her face, "Better yet, you wanna give the galaxy map a try? Don't act like I don't know every person on the ship wants to touch it!"

"Well, if you insist..."

He stepped onto the podium, he could hear the whispers around the deck and feel XO Pressly's gaze fixed on him. He engaged the holographic interface before him, it was beautiful, the whole known universe was at his fingertips. He could see that he may have bluffed a little on the whole being "on route" thing. The Kepler Verge where the ship was located was adjacent to Feros, but not on the way to the Horse Head Nebula, it was a straight shot from the ship down to Noveria though. Besides, he hadn't lied, the Normandy had the most advanced FTL engine ever created, it would still only delay them by an hour or two… three max. He lingered for a second, he was used to looking out at the stillness of space, but seeing the galaxy laid out in it's entirety before him… it was humbling. He plugged in the coordinates.

"Joker, we're making a quick pit stop before we head on to Noveria, I need you to lock on the coordinates coming your way," she said.

"Already on it, ETA 2 and half hours," said the pilot.

"This is your mission Vakarian, pick a squadmate and I'll meet you back here when we dock. For now, we all need some rest, try and get in a nap."

"Aye, aye!"

Garrus decided on Wrex. Not because he was the only other non-human male on board but because the Salarians had engineered the bio-weapon that was sterilizing his people. He knew Wrex would have no problem stomping out the serial killer they were about to bring down.

"Wrex, you in?"

"Hell yeah, I was beginning to get cabin fever, and no one wants to see a bored Krogan. Trust me, we always find means of entertaining ourselves and it's not always constructive."

"I hope I never find out. I just thought you could use a little piece of the action."

"You lookin out for me Gar Bear? I'm touched. Now, why do you _really_ want me to come a long?"

"The target is a Salarian geneticist, thought you may enjoy taking out some of your resentment," he said.

"I'll enjoy it alright, but I read the mission brief. Don't think I wouldn't do the same thing to any Krogan, Human, Asari or any other sick bastard who uses people for his own twisted gain like that."

"Understood…" Garrus said.

They grabbed their gear and boarded the elevator.

"Gar Bear...really?" Garrus asked with disbelief.

"What? I like it, it stays," Wrex said with a grin.

They boarded the MSV Fedele quietly. They had docked with the Normandy's cloak engaged so he wouldn't see them coming, there would be nowhere to go. The nervous excitement was almost too much, Garrus had been waiting for this moment, reliving his failure over and over. Today would end the cycle, his work would finally make a difference. No thanks to C-Sec.

The ship was cold, sterile, it was like stepping into a morgue. _Fitting _. They weaved their way through a labyrinth of crates. It was dim, everyone was on edge unsure of what they would find.

"What was that?" Garrus asked.

"I thought I heard it too...we need to keep moving," replied Shepard.

They continued on. Garrus felt his skin crawl, "There it is again!" he shouted.

_There were footsteps, he was sure of it. But where was everyone?_ His mind began to play tricks on him, he thought he'd seen something in the shadows. His heart rate climbed as he inched his way over toward a figure he couldn't make out, maybe it was one of the Doctor's victims, maybe they needed help. His muscles tensed. "Hello, we're here to help...are you alright?" he inquired with a whisper. _Damn, it was just a fuel containment cell! _He let his guard down.

**_Rrrraaaraaaaaaahhhh_!**

A blur in his peripherals tackled him to the ground in a flash. He struggled to grab a hold of it's shoulders forcing some sort of distance between them. It lunged at his face and neck, it was rabid, disfigured.

**_Boom_!**

Whatever had been on top of him it was there no longer, but rather spread across him in pieces.

"_**WREX**_! Dammit! We don't even know what that was... _**WHO**_ that was!"

"Whoops," he replied sarcastically. "Come on, that thing was going to eat you for lunch," he said defensively, "next time I'll let him have you."

Garrus scurried to his feet, brushing the remains off of his suit. He looked at was left of the body. _Spirits, what happened to you? I'm so sorry._ His stomach churned at the gruesome sight.

"Whatever it was it isn't human anymore, obviously Saleon has moved on from simply harvesting organs, this...this is an abomination, poor soul" she looked away in disgust. "Let's get this bastard and get out of here!"

They faced many more of those things... things that had once been people. Some had been Turian, some Asari, even Batarian. With every painful shot Garrus took it fueled his rage, toward Saleon... toward C-Sec! If only he had been able to take him down the first time, they would be escorting survivors right now not gunning down monsters.

They finally reached a door. The three of them exchanged glances. "Garrus, I know this is your mission, but I think I should take the lead on this, you may be too close. If the roles were reversed... well I don't know that I could keep a level head. If there is a diplomatic solution I am obligated to take it, but I promise you he's not getting away with this."

_He knew she was right... he knew if it was in his hands he would lose his composure... but if it wasn't for her they wouldn't be there at all._

"Ok Shepard."

"Thank you! Thank you for saving me from those things!" the Doctor shouted.

The room was stained with the blood of many species, pale blue, violet, orange... and more than a few dark red.

Shepard looked over to Garrus for confirmation that this was their guy. Garrus nodded back, "That's Saleon," his voice was laced with rage, almost primal.

"What? No... Heart, I'm Dr. Heart! Please get me out of here!" he pleaded.

"You're sure?" Shepard asked Garrus one last time.

"Positive!" he turned his full attention to Saleon, "There's no escape this time, I'd enjoy harvesting your organs first but we don't have the time!"

"You're crazy, _he's_ crazy!" the Doctor was frantic, "Please, don't let him do this to me!"

"We'll take him in, drop him off at the next military base," said Shepard.

"But... we _have_ him! We can't...Quinn,_ I _can't let him get away. Not again!

"I know. He's not getting away. If he's dead we'll never know what he did or how he did it. We'll take him, interrogate him. He'll serve his time."

_He was shaking. But he made a promise that he would respect her command. _

"I've...ok..." he stammered, "_**You**__! _You're a very lucky Salarian. You owe the Commander your life."

"Oh right, what was I thinking, I'm so very thankful you're here to arrest me" he said sarcastically, drawing his weapon.

_Oh hell no. _Garrus drew his pistol and dropped the mad man in a single clean shot to the heart. _Ironic really, he had chosen his new name as a joke and now he would die by it._

He turned to Shepard, "And he dies anyway. What was the point of all of that?"

"You can't predict how people will act, Garrus. You can only control how you will respond. In the end, that's what really matters."

He let her words sink in. The adrenaline was still high and his mental faculties weren't fully clear, but he thought about that.

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." he paused. "I' don't think I've ever met anyone like you Commander...thank you."

"So, I guess we're done here?" asked Wrex.

"I suppose we are," Garrus said.

It was late aboard the Normandy, they'd be arriving at Noveria by 0600. Garrus was sitting at the table in the mess hall. He reflected on the events of the day, he couldn't believe it was actually over. He had always wondered how it would feel, how satisfying it would be... and it was. Shepard had stopped him from killing in cold-blood, he wondered how it would have gone if she hadn't been there. If it would have felt as good if he had just taken the shot, or worst, tortured him first. The thought had crossed his mind on more than one occasion, all the ways he could make him feel his victim's pain. Would that have made him a killer, taking someone's life without provocation... he would never now, but he was grateful.

He looked around the room, Kaidan was missing from his usual spot. _Strange, he thought._ He heard footsteps as someone turned the corner. _Speak of the devil..._

"Garrus! What a day, huh? Congratulations, I can't believe you caught that guy. You've done the galaxy a great service!" he said.

"The galaxy is a better place, that is true. And after all that time hunting him for C-Sec. I could have never done it on my own. Joining the Normandy has been the best decision I've ever made."

"I know what you mean."

Garrus shifted the conversation, "You almost had me worried for a second, without you in your usual spot or talking to Ashley I thought maybe you'd been sucked out of an airlock or something."

"Oh... yeah...I guess it has gotten late hasn't it? I never notice when I'm with her..." _ahem_, he cleared his voice, "the Commander I mean."

_He had a feeling that's where he'd been._

"It's just... that was the first mission I haven't accompanied you guys on since I joined the crew, and with her still recovering from Feros... I just thought I should check in, make sure she was ok. You know... as a friend," he said.

"Relax Kaidan, It's ok if you've got a thing for her. Who would I tell? Besides as far as human women go, she's in a league of her own, I can respect that," he said. "What you two do or don't do is none of my business..." _unless you hurt her, then rest assured I will make it my business._

"Uh... wow it's that obvious huh? It's never going to happen, I just want to be there for her where I can, with all the stress she's under."

"I'm sure she appreciates your friendship." _He wondered if she appreciated his as well? Were they even friends, or had he been imagining it?_

"Right, I hope so. Well, I better turn in, big day tomorrow. I've never fought an Asari Matriarch before."

"Who was the most powerful biotic in your class when you were training?"

"He wasn't a classmate but there was a Turian instructor, his name was Vymnus. He was strong, ex-military," the expression on Kaidan's face hardened.

"Well picture him, only worse and you'll only be half-way prepared for tomorrow,"

"Ha, well I took him down, and I am sure surprise was the last thing he ever felt... so maybe I'll be alright. But that's a story for another day... have a good night."

"You too Kaidan."

_Had he really killed his instructor? Maybe there was more underneath that sensitive exterior._ Garrus had always assumed Kaidan wouldn't have the strength to do what was necessary. Even if he had, whatever his relationship was with Shepard would affect his performance, love makes you do crazy things no matter what your species. That's one lesson he had seen play out over and over again and the reason he lived with no strings attached.

With that he went to bed, completely unaware of how true those words would prove to be.


	9. Chapter 9: Sacrifice

**Honor's Boundary**

**By: Kellieqd**

**Game: Mass Effect**

**A Garrus Vakarian Tale eventually pairing with Shepard**

**Disclaimer: The Mass Effect universe and it's characters are the sole intellectual property of Bioware and EA. This is simply my interpretation of their story. **

**Chapter 9: Sacrifice**

It was early, 0400. He had awakened in fear, his palms had been sweaty and he couldn't seem to shake the images that had infiltrated his sleep. They were images of death, calamity and hopelessness... a Reaper invasion. He now sat in the Observation Deck staring out into the seemingly infinite heavens before him. He listened to the ambient hum of the ship's engine, felt the breeze of the climate control against his skin, it soothed him. Looking upon the stars everything seemed so peaceful, there was an underlying order that was often taken for granted. Planets orbited at the perfect distance to sustain life, dying stars sent out the energy and elemental building blocks necessary to form their successors. It was hard to believe that their crew, that Shepard, could be the only thing keeping it all from falling into chaos.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

_Ashley!_ "What are you doing up?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream, this is where I come to clear my head. How could anyone look out at this galaxy and not be made to believe in something..."

"It is spectacular."

"Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings. And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod the high untresspassed sanctity of space, put out my hand and touched the face of God."

Garrus sat, taken aback. "Never took you for the poet Ash."

"That was John Gillespie, American aviator, died age 19. 200 years ago we thought World War II was as bad as it could get," she mused. "Dad used to read me that quote all of the time, told me 'kid, humanity has to fight for its share of the splendors of the universe, no one out there is going to want to share," she recalled with a thoughtful chuckle. "He was a brilliant man... I miss him every single day."

"He sounds very insightful." Garrus shifted uneasily in his seat, " If you would like some time to yourself I can find somewhere else..." he offered.

"No, it's ok. I spend enough of my time alone. Please stay..."

"Look Ash, this may be none of my business, but I must admit I'm confused. I heard your concerns the other day when you pulled Shepard aside. I can't really figure out why you want to talk to me now. I know I'm quite the ladies man, but even I have my limits."

She paused for a minute before responding. "I don't hate you Garrus..." she walked over, raising her arm above her head and propping herself against the window in front of them. "I've spent my whole life trying to bring respect to my family's name. I always ranked at the top of my class. I had to be better than the best. I applied for a shipboard transfer more times than there are days in a year. Every time denied for some vague, half-assed reason. I was grounded, confined to some podunk garrison running drills and praying for my chance to see any real combat. It had been the same way for my father before me, and he was a damn fine officer... the best! It didn't matter that my technical scores were through the roof or that I consistently received outstanding reviews from my squad. I was _General Williams granddaughter _...blacklisted."

"General Williams... General Williams from Shanxi?" _He had never made the connection before, but he knew that name...everyone did._

She nodded. "When I was a little girl he used to come visit for the holidays. He would sit me on his knee, we would sit by the fire and he would tell me his stories. My grandfather was a brave man. He was so gentle, but when you looked into his eyes... you could see that he was haunted. He had watched as women and children starved to death in the streets, crying out for mercy because turian ships would rain down debris from orbit just to take down one individual squad trying to procure emergency supplies. Every time they took a step forward, they were forced two more back," tears began to form in her eyes and her voice continued on unsteady, "After weeks of watching innocent civilians die and sending his troops to the slaughter my grandfather made the call to surrender... to this day, Shanxi is the only human colony to ever be surrendered to an alien race."

Her words shot like needles through Garrus' chest. He could feel the air being sucked out of his lungs. He had been raised to believe that the Relay 314 Incident was the fault of ignorant humans arrogantly taking liberties with technology they couldn't understand, breaking long-standing galactic law without a second thought. The turians, he had been taught, were simply doing their duty to ensure peace was maintained for the Council races. He had never put a face on the human cost of life from the three month skirmish between their people...until now.

"I... I had no idea. You think you know something from reading the history books. It pains me that this has molded your view of my people. We are bound by "honor" and "discipline," sometimes blinding us to the ethical cost. I guess that's why I've never been a very good turian, at least that's what my father always tells me. I have a hard time abiding by the rules."

"I know I have become the token bitch aboard and I am sorry that it took Shepard and Kaidan to make me reevaluate how my attitude affects our mission. I'm not going to lie and say that serving with you has changed my outlook on turians... but you're alright Vakarian," she said, taking a seat beside him.

"You're not always so bad yourself."

They stayed there side by side, silent, staring out upon the same sky, a newfound respect between them.

Garrus suited up for their next mission, they were pulling in to dock on Noveria. He waited for Shepard, but the call never came.

-_Commanding Officer ashore, XO Pressly has the deck –_ informed the intercom.

"Somebody's grounded," said Wrex.

"What _does_ one do when grounded Wrex? After all you're the expert," he fired back.

"Wise guy," Wrex frowned.

He had been on every away mission since he came aboard. _Was Shepard upset about the Saleon mission? Did she feel she couldn't trust him to control himself? He knew she would have to take Liara in case they ran into her mother, that is why there were there in the first place. But who else had she brought a long? Why did he care?No one can go every mission, right?_

Oh well.. there was plenty he'd been wanting to do around the Normandy but hadn't had the time, now was a golden opportunity. _I did promise Tali I would help her run some calibrations on the battery._

"Garrus!" Tali exclaimed. "I was beginning to think you were too holy to grace us with your presence. Too busy showing off on some exciting away mission. _Wait a minute... _she didn't take you? She didn't take _you_! What did you do?"

"Relax Tali, I decided to be generous and give myself a day to recoup. Gotta stay on top of my game ya know, for the good of the mission."

"Oh brother!" He saw her eyes roll beneath her mask. "If you're done, Adams and I just finished going over the latest quantum alignment charts. She is performing above projected efficiency, but I told him we can do even better. You think you're up for it C-Sec?"

"Bring it on! But when I blow your mind I want it recorded in your pilgrimage for your whole Flotilla to see."

"Ow!" he cried rubbing the now tender spot on his arm. For a little thing she packed one of hell of a jab!

They spent the next few hours fine tuning the ships core systems, preparing it for the dangers to come. It was easy to pass the time bashing on the terrible dextro meals they had been forced to eat and discussing how easy it was for things to get lost in translation between themselves and their human counterparts.

…

"So then when the man finishes you know, the resulting discharge- - "

Garrus had never felt his eyes strain so wide before, he was sure he had felt his mandibles hit the floor.

"I get it, I get it! You don't have to finish... I can't believe I said that to Shepard! How do you know all of this any way?" he said mortified, never having imagined he had insinuated something so lewd the day before.

By this point Tali was practically in stitches, gripping the railing to keep herself upright. "Oh... oh man Garrus, that is hilarious, I can just picture the look on her face."

"I'm pretty sure it looked just like mine right now. But hey... you still haven't answered my question! How did you find this out?"

The young quarian fell silent and her skin became flush... "So... how about these calibrations...?"

-_Commander Shepard has the deck, all Senior Officers report to the debriefing room in 20:00 minutes _-

"Oh well, what do you know. Better go prepare!" she said and made her way toward the door.

"You got lucky!" Garrus said. "I won't forget this little conversation," he shouted as she walked away.

Liara was visibly shaken during the debrief. From what he knew she and her mother had not been close for decades... but losing a parent is never easy regardless of circumstance.

"Benezia confirmed our fears, our real threat is Sovereign, the Reaper controlling Saren. She was a remarkably strong women, she tried to veer Saren off his course but even she wasn't strong enough to fight indoctrination forever," Shepard started.

Garrus could hear Liara whimper softly next to him.

"That is what we're up against people. This _thing_ is ancient, older than time, it is wise and it has the power to get into your head. We cannot afford to let it's corruption spread. That is why I chose to spare the resurrected Rachni queen we found at Binary Helix. You've heard it said that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, well we can use all of the help we can get. These are desperate times."

A wave of stifled gasps filled the room. _Rachni Queen? She can't be serious. The Rachni have been extinct for 2,000 years, wiped from existence by the Krogan. And the galaxy was better for it, they had killed millions._

"Rachni Shepard? That's a dangerous bet!" Garrus said.

"The hell it is! Do you have any idea how many Krogan sacrificed their lives so we would never have to speak of those monsters again?" Wrex shouted.

"I know some of you may have reservations about this one."

"Reservations?" Wrex stood up out of his seat. "This is madness Shepard!" he said before he stormed out of the room.

Garrus moved forward in his seat, tempted to go after his angry friend.

"Let him go. I knew this would be difficult for him, he has a right to be concerned. Let's give him some time," their Commander said.

Garrus sat back, rubbing his palms together anxiously.

"Genocide is not an option on this mission! Is that clear? The Queen was cooperative, without her our investigation would be at a stand still. We now know where Saren is headed, and we'll be there to follow. She lost those she loved in this battle too, and she vowed to help us against Sovereign should we ever call."

"Commander?"

"Go ahead Joker."

"The Council just received your mission report, they were very adamant about talking to you... talking to you now Commander."

"Let's get this over with. Dismissed!" said Shepard.

Garrus heard shouting coming from the Crew Deck, he quickly made his way downstairs.

"Back down human! You're in over your head," warned the angry Krogan.

Kaidan's arm began to cast a blue glow as his biotic amp activated. "Wrex, be reasonable! Why would Shepard sentence the Rachni to the same fate your people are fighting to avoid? There are a lot of long-standing grudges in the universe that humanity isn't a part of, it wasn't our place to choose to wipe out an entire race!"

"Exactly kid, it wasn't _your_ place to choose! You don't know the consequences of what you've done here!"

"Please, stop this! This mission is too important to turn on one another now," Liara pleaded taking her stand between them.

"Liara's right! This Queen wasn't even hatched during the Rachni wars... and Saren is responsible for the death of her children, if she wants to help us in the fight she would make a powerful ally. Maybe letting her live is dangerous, but not as dangerous as not taking advantage of all the resources we can get behind us in this war!"

_"Aaaaraaaawwwarrrr!" _Wrex growled knocking over the mess table. "Fine! But don't come asking the Krogan for help again when this bites you all in the ass!"

"Thank you Garrus," Liara said grabbing his arm. "I already lost my mother today, I don't know that I could handle losing a member of our team as well."

"I hope you're right Garrus," Wrex said knocking shoulders with him as he left the room.

Ashley was talking Kaidan down by his normal terminal. Seeing that the conflict had dissolved for now Garrus decided it would be safe to walk Liara back to her quarters.

"Liara, I can't imagine what you are going through right now. I am sorry for your loss," he said sympathetically.

"I remember when I was little, I thought my mother was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. People always expected me to follow in her footsteps, to be a leader of our people. Matriarch's seek the truth in what is to come, I suppose that is why I became so interested in the past. It sounds so silly when I say it now," she shook her head.

"Show me a kid who never rebelled against his parents and I'll show you a liar! That's just a part of growing up," he reassured her.

"That's just what she said you know," she smiled, "...you don't need to pity me Garrus, Benezia brought this on herself."

"But she was still your mother."

"She was... but she was not. I prefer to remember her how she used to be before she was corrupted by Sovereign's power. Benezia chose her path, and I have chosen mine. I will stand behind Shepard, I am proud to fight alongside all of you."

"I'm glad I was overruled when I first joined up, picking you up first was the best decision."

"You wanted to leave me there?"

"What? No... not exactly. I just thought Benezia should take precedent since she was working directly with Saren."

"I see... I suppose I would have felt the same in your position."

-_"Listen up everybody!" Shepard's voice appeared from the speaker. "I just got an urgent report from the Council that there is geth activity on the planet Virmire. The Salarian recon team there is requesting immediate assistance. The distress signal is partially jammed but it sounds like Saren may still be there. If it is delaying him from heading to the Mu Relay it must be important. The Council is sending us there to assess the situation and offer ground support. Prepare for arrival by 0600. In the mean time try and get some rest. We all deserve it!" -_

"You heard the lady, I guess we better rest up. I don't even think I have heard of Virmire."

"I don't know much, just that it is located near the Terminus Systems, which has left it relatively uninhabited," Liara replied. "As usual I appreciate your looking out for me Garrus, you're a good friend."

"Any time."

The crew lined up on the Command Deck for visual inspection.

"It's too hot down there to land the Normandy, we're going to have to drop the Mako and take out the defense towers before we can bring her in. Garrus, Tali, I'm going to need your tech on this one. I'll see the rest of you at the Salarian base. You have your orders, let's get out there."

She was met with a row of salutes as Garrus and Tali followed her down to the Mako.

As usual, Joker's drop was flawless. _Showoff. _

"I don't remember impact being so smooth before, you wouldn't know anything about that would you Garrus?" Shepard inquired as the Mako touched down.

"I couldn't resist Commander, I'm all about a smooth entry."

She smiled back at him.

He turned to look at Tali who had begun giggling uncontrollably._ Dammit! I did it again._

"You really can't help it can you?" she teased.

"You know what I meant Shepard."

Under different circumstances Virmire looked like the perfect choice for shore leave. It was lush with tropical trees, crystal clear lagoons and massive rockscapes.

"It's beautiful!" Tali said.

"Let's try and keep it that way, shall we?" replied Shepard.

They began winding their way through the landscape, plowing down any Geth in their way. Garrus popped off what stragglers he could get. _Still a kill stealer he thought. Just wait til Kam gets her chance, not even the famous Commander Shepard can compete with her._

"There's our target," he said.

They came to the first tower and exited the vehicle. The air was laced with hints of tropical blooms and exotic fruit. Garrus took a deep breath, savoring the beauty of the moment he knew would pass too soon.

"Garrus I need you to provide cover fire from down here . Tali and I will make our way up to the tower controls."

"You got it!"

He knelt beside the Mako and watched as they made their way up the stairwell. He watched through his scope, dropping any Geth ahead of them before they could so much as lift their guns.

Shepard stopped and shouted down from the ledge, he could see the exasperation on her face, "And I'm the one who gets all the fun? Riiiigght!"

He chuckled. _That's my girl, he thought, giving his rifle a loving pat. _

He watched as the door blocking their way retreated and the massive gun above them powered down.

They re-entered the vehicle and made their way the next tower. The second gate had been even easier than the first.

"I'm reading that the grid is down, Commander. On approach to the Salarian Base now. Over and out," Joker radioed.

A few minutes later Joker's familiar voice radioed again. _Already? _

"The Normandy has touched down but it looks like we're grounded. The Salarian Captain can explain when you get here."

"I get the feeling this is going to be fun," Garrus said sarcastically.

Within seconds of arriving at the base they could hear a debate starting.

"So what the hell are we supposed to do now?" Williams asked.

"We need to stay put until we come up with a plan," responded the Salarian Captain.

"Are you the one in charge here?" Commander Shepard asked as they approached the group.

"I'm Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment. You and your crew just landed in the middle of a hot zone."

"We noticed," Garrus interrupted.

The Salarian scowled. "Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."

"Great, so what do you suggest now?" Shepard asked.

"We stay put until the Council sends in the reinforcements we requested."

"We are the reinforcements," Kaidan said matter-of-factly.

"What? You're all they sent? I told them to send a fleet!"

"Your transmission wasn't clear. They sent me to investigate," explained Shepard.

"Investigating... ha! _Investigating_, she says. I've already lost half of my men investigating this place!"

"So, what have you found out?" asked Kaidan.

"Saren's base of operations. He's setup a research facility here, but it's crawling with geth and very well fortified."

"What kind of research?" Garrus asked.

"He's using the facility to breed an army of Krogan."

"Impossible!" shouted Wrex pushing his way to the front of the crowd.

"Apparently, Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage."

_If the genophage was really involved then this mission just got a lot more complicated, especially with Turians, Krogans and Salarians attempting to work together, Garrus thought._

"The geth are bad enough, but a krogan army... he'd be almost unstoppable," Shepard said.

"Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure hat the facility and its secrets are destroyed," replied Kirrahe.

_Uh oh, Wrex wasn't going to like this. Yep, here it comes..._

"Destroyed? I don't think so," the krogan said making a gesture that could only be intended as 'over my dead body.' "My people are dying, this cure can save them!"

"If that cure leaves this planet the krogan will become unstoppable. We can't make that mistake again," Kirrahe said.

Wrex marched in close, only inches away Kirrahe's face, "_We are not a mistake!_" he said and took off down the beach.

Kirrahe, not amused turned back to Shepard, "Is he going to be a problem? We have enough krogan to deal with as it is."

"He'll be fine, I'll talk to him," Shepard replied.

"I'd appreciate that Commander. My men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us a few minutes?"

"Go ahead, we'll regroup soon," she turned back to face her crew. "Hang tight guys, I am going to go get a handle on Wrex, do what you need to prepare."

Shepard made her way down toward their conflicted squad mate. Kaidan followed a step behind her, fingers curled around his pistol, ready for whatever could happen.

"I have a bad feeling about this one," said Ashley turning to Garrus.

"So do I. It was bad enough having to deal with the Rachni, at least they were universally regarded as dangerous. But now this? The genophage is the most widely debated controversy in the galaxy."

_He wondered what Shepard would do? She had always leaned toward the side or mercy, but if Saren really developed a krogan army... there was no good decision._

He watched as Shepard and Wrex danced back and forth, asserting their positions. It was hard to tell who was leading and who was following step. Even with his superior hearing he couldn't make out what they were saying. In an instant Wrex raised his shotgun but Shepard matched his draw. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion before Wrex carefully lowered his weapon.

_Spirits, thank you!_

Garrus made his way down the beach to see if he could offer any support.

"Wrex! You're a good man. Stronger than most!"

"You don't need to get all emotional on me Gar Bear. Shepard was right, the only reason I am going ahead with this is because those things are Saren's puppets nothing more, and he is going to pay for that!"

"Yes he will," he said patting him on the back, "Yes he will!"

"...before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers! Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line! Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we _will_ hold the line!"

_He had to give it to the captain, he sure knew how to rally the troops._

Kirrahe had asked for one of the Normandy's squad to assist them. Shepard gave them Ashley, reasoning she was the tactical equivalent of 3 of their soldiers.

This was going to be their most difficult mission. There was a general feeling of uneasiness among the squad. Garrus just hoped they would find Saren still on the planet. They had come up with a crude yet effective plan. The Salarians were converting their ship's drive core into a giant bomb. Unfortunately, they would not be able to drop it from orbit, the base was too well fortified. They would have to infiltrate the far side of the base disabling all of the AA guns and ground opposition in the way and manually detonate it. The numbers were not on their side so they made the difficult decision to split off into smaller units, the Salarians would act as decoy while Shepard took their shadow team in through the back. Everyone knew most of the people in the camp would not be coming back.

"Is everyone ready?" Shepard asked.

There was a unanimous shout of agreement.

"Just know whatever happens, you honor us by allowing me and my squad to fight side by side with you," she said to Kirrahe and his troops.

"I second that," Garrus said.

"Absolutely!" said Kaidan.

The salarian squad began to head toward the gate. Ashley lingered behind.

"I guess that's my cue."

"You've got this Ashely! You're the best damned female soldier I know," said Shepard.

"I don't like this," Kaidan said, giving her a hug goodbye.

Garrus saw the pain in her face when he released hold of her.

"See you on the other side Ash," Garrus said their eyes locked for a second.

"Take care of them for me Garrus!" she replied.

He got the sickening feeling that those may be the last words he would get to share with her.

Garrus, Wrex and Shepard were working their way through the base. So far they had mostly been fighting off indoctrinated salarians. The decoy teams were working, drawing a lot of the fire away from the Normandy's squad. But if they didn't relieve some of the heat off of them then there would be no decoy left. They helped where they could, interfering with geth triangulation signals and destroying satellites they came across. Eventually they came to an alarm system panel.

"We have two options," Garrus said. "We can disable the alarms and leave more of the fight here with us... or we could trigger the alarm in the far side of the base and draw attention to Kirrahe's men. It's your call Commander." _He already knew what she would choose._

"Bring it on!" she said.

"With pleasure," he said, successfully disabling the alarm.

They were soon flooded by geth and weaponized krogan thralls, but it was nothing they couldn't handle. Adrenaline from the thought of coming face to face with their adversary fueled their progression. They managed to free a few salarian soldiers who had been imprisoned and experimented on. Some had been too far gone... one had cracked his own skull open trying to smash his way through the glass, blaming it on the voices in his head. Sovereign's hold on this place was disturbing.

Upon exiting an elevator in the base's interior they came across an asari employee.

"Don't shoot! Please... I just want to get out of here before it's too late," she begged.

"Alright, lets hear it. Who are you and what do you want?" asked Shepard, folding her arms across her chest.

"My name is Rana Thanoptis, I'm a neuro-specialist but this job isn't worth dying over... or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later Saren will want to dissect my brain too."

"I thought this was a breeding facility?" Garrus said.

"My thoughts exactly," echoed Shepard.

"Not at this level, we're studying Sovereign's affect on organic minds. At least... that's what I had assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible."

"You helped him and you don't even know why?" Wrex asked accusingly.

"I didn't have the option of negotiating," she said, clearly shaken up. "This position is a little more _permanent_ than I had expected. But I can help you, this elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab, I can get you in," she began operating the door controls. "See! All of Saren's private files. Are we good, can I go?"

"Soon. What were you studying here?" asked Shepard.

"That ship, Sovereign. It emits some sort of signal, undetectable but it's there. I have seen the effects, Saren uses it to influence his followers, control them. Exposure to this signal turns people into mindless slaves, like the salarians you no doubt saw. But it also does collateral damage."

"Explain."

"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it, like a tingle down the back of your neck, a whisper you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things you, just don't know why. Eventually you just stop thinking for yourself. It happens to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the scientist I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here!"

"Why is Saren researching this? Isn't he the one controlling it?"

"The signal comes from the ship, it makes us obey Saren, but I don't think he controls it. I think he is scared it is starting to affect him. Indoctrination is subtle, by the time the effects become noticeable it's usually too late."

"Tell me about this signal."

"Signal isn't the right word exactly... it's like some kind of energy field emanating from the ship that changes thought patterns. Over time, days, maybe a week, it weakens your will, you become easier to manipulate and control. It's a degenerative condition, there's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom a subject maintains the less capable it becomes."

"We should kill this bitch, think of all the innocent people she experimented on," suggested Wrex, raising his gun.

Garrus reached over and lowered it, elicting a growl from the krogan.

Shepard stepped toward her, "I'm going to blow this place to hell and back... if you want to make it out alive you had better start running."

"What? You can't... But I'll never...! Aaaahhh!" she screamed, running out of the room.

After she left Garrus turned to Shepard, " You enjoyed that Commander."

She let out a malevolent chuckle, "If she makes it out, good for her. If she doesn't then I'm going to call it cosmic retribution."

They never imagined what they would find in Saren's lab.

"Is that just like the beacon you saw on Eden Prime?" Garrus asked.

"...Yes, it is, " she said stepping toward it.

"Quinn, no!"

It was too late, they had to watch as she was lifted into the air, joined with ancient device. Her head was thrown backward as visions flooded her mind. A minute later she plummeted to the ground.

"Quinn, are you alright? What did you see?" Garrus said, kneeling by her side.

"There's no time now... we need to keep moving," she said regaining her balance.

They traced their way back up the catwalk they had just traveled and were met by a large red holographic image.

"I get the feeling something bad is about to happen," said Wrex.

Garrus agreed.

"You are not Saren," thundered the image menacingly.

"Is that some kind of VI interface?" Garrus asked.

"Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding," it replied.

_Lovely, whatever it is, it has a great attitude._

"Im no expert, but I don't think that's a VI," said Wrex.

"There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"

"Sovereign's not just some Reaper ship Saren found. It's an actual Reaper!" Shepard exclaimed.

"Reaper, a label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply _are_," it continued.

"The Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago! You could not have been there, it's impossible!" Garrus shouted.

"Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are then end of everything."

"Whatever your plan is, it's going to fail! I'll make sure of that," Shepard said defiantly.

"Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken. It has repeated more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the Mass Relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."

Garrus shuddered, his normally warm blood ran cold. _This can't really be happening. Liara was right. These things had been around wiping out countless civilizations for tens of thousands of years. He had never tasted fear like this before or felt so completely obsolete._

"Why would you construct the mass relays, then leave them for someone else to find?" Shepard shot back, trying to find the truth in what it was saying.

"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it and you will end because we demand it!"

"They're... they're harvesting us! Letting us advance to the level they need then wiping us out!" Garrus said. _Who are these things that they can play God?_

"What do you want from us? Slaves, resources?" Shepard asked.

"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."

"Where are the rest of you?" the Commander demanded.

"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken they sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."

_Garrus' mind shot to thoughts of Palaven, of his family, his sister. Of how he had never known what it felt like to truly love a woman, of the children he may never have._

"You're not even alive, not really. You're just a machine... machines can be broken."

Garrus was amazed at how she could hold her ground while confronted by such a formidable threat. He was ashamed of his fear. She was _incredible._

"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over," Sovereign said and vanishsed.

"Look who got touchy. Shepard, I think you have him shaking in his boots," said Wrex.

Suddenly, the entire wall of windows behind them shattered simultaneously, hurling glass and metal scrap in their direction. They had no time to recover from what they had just seen before Joker came over their Comms.

"Uh Commander, we have a problem."

"Lay it one me Joker. I love bad news," she replied.

She even kept her sense of humor. _Unbelievable._

"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving! I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way fast, and it's coming hard. You better wrap things up- pronto!."

"About time we had a real fight," said Wrex.

_Was he the only one scared as hell?_

"We need to head over to the breeding facility. Time to blow this place to hell!" shouted Shepard.

"We'll meet you there, Joker out!"

- "The geth are turning! Shepard must be getting close. Keep them here! Circle around and..." - the comm signal died out.

_Ash! It was good to hear her voice, but it sounded like she was in trouble._

"You heard her, we need to move!" Shepard cried, sprinting toward their target.

"That turret could punch some nasty holes in the Normandy," Wrex sad as they came up on their last AA gun.

"Garrus shut it down! Wrex, you and me, we'll guard the perimeter."

Garrus ran to the turret controls, working as fast as he could. He listened as his comrades launched into the geth and krogan onslaught.

"All clear!" he said as the gun powered down.

"Go, go, go!" Shepard yelled.

-"Good work on that gun Commander. We're beginning our assault on the other one," - their comm chirped.

_Spirits, she made it! That a girl! But they weren't home free yet._

-"The charges are set and ready. Everybody get low and keep your heads down!" -

"Nice! One less thing to worry about," Joker joined the conversation. "I'm bringing us in. I'll get as close to the site as I can."

They watched as the Normandy descended into the makeshift docking bay. Soon Kaidan appeared with some of the support crew carrying the bomb they were about to detonate. They carried it down to the center of the base.

Kaidan jumped on his Comm, "Ash, bomb is in position, we're all set he-"

-"Commander, do you read me?" - Ashley cut in.

"The nuke is almost ready Chief. Get to the rendezvous point!" said Shepard.

-"Negative, Commander. The geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We have taken heavy casualties! We'll never make the rendezvous point in time." -

"Get them out of there Joker, now!" ordered Shepard.

- "Negative, it's too hot! You can't risk it. We'll hold them off as long as we-" -

"Dammit, Williams! We're so close, hang in there!" Garrus said.

"It's okay Commander. I need a couple of minutes here to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet me back here," Kaidan said.

"Right, up to that tower. Move!" Shepard said.

"We won't let them down Shepard!" Garrus said as they moved out.

They were fighting through what enemies they had to as they headed toward the tower, when they saw a geth ship inbound.

-"I'm reading a geth ship headed toward the Lieutenant." -

-"It's already here and its bleeding geth all over the bomb site" -

"Can you hold them off?"

- "There's too many, I don't think we can survive until you get here. I'm activating the

bomb!" -

"What are you doing Lieutenant?"

-"I'm making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what!... It's done Commander, go get the Chief and get the hell out of

here!" -

The Commander paced back and forth. There was a thick layer of sweat forming on her furrowed brow. She punched the wall in front of her. She had to make a choice. Would she save Kaidan, or would she save Ashley?

"Dammit! Ashley, radio Joker and tell him to meet us at the AA tower."

_What? His ears must be playing tricks on him... he knew she was close with Kaidan. She would really let him die? Maybe that's why she made her choice, couldn't risk getting too attached?_

There was a long pause...

-"I... I'm sorry, I can't do that"-

- "Ash, don't be crazy! It's the right choice. Shepard go get her"-

Another agonizing pause...

-"Shepard, please... tell my sisters I love them and that I am so proud of them. Me and dad... we'll be looking down on them...

together, I'm going home Commander."-

_Her voice was calm... almost serene. Ashley... what are you doing? _

"Williams, that was a direct order, we're coming for you!" Shepard shouted, slightly panicked.

-"Negative Commander... Kaidan, you have so much life to live... don't blame yourself for this... goodbye..." -

- "Ash no... no, no, no! Don't do thi-" -

The sound of a single shot rang through their comms like a knife entering the heart. She had eliminated the choice.

"What... what the hell just happened?" Shepard gasped, burying her face in her hands.

Garrus knew... maybe he was the only one who had truly known the extent of Ashley's feelings toward Kaidan. _She gave her life to save the one she loved. Could there be anything more tragic... or more beautiful..._

He took a minute to collect himself, then broke the silence, "She did what she had to. Her name will be recorded in this history books for her hand in stopping the biggest threat the galaxy has ever know. We need to go. Kaidan needs us, we can't lose him too."

Bitter resentment boiled up inside him. He resented Kaidan for dragging Ashley to that point, when he knew that he was only interested in Shepard.

"She will be remembered... thank you Garrus... let's go," she replied, slightly defeated.

He swore for a second that he saw the Krogan next to him force back a tear.

"She died for the good of her men, there is no greater honor in death," Wrex said.

And they made their way back to the bomb site.

Not seconds after they arrived back, at a very distraught Kaidan's side, that biotic missiles were being rained down on them from above. One of them knocking Kaidan out.

_Saren!_

He was powerful, perhaps he had only been rivaled by his old protege Nihlus. _Nihlus, Garrus thought! He would take down Saren for Nihlus, for Liara's mother, for Ashley! _

He raised his scope only to have the gun forced from his hands. "I don't think so friend, Saren is mine!" Wrex shouted.

"Both of you! This is my mission, if either of you so much as raise your weapon again without a direct order I will make sure you both rot in the Terminus Systems for the rest of your lives."

Wrex and Garrus looked at each other. They had never been spoken to like that by Shepard... they'd never heard her speak like that to anyone. They knew she meant it.

"Bravo! I applaud you Shepard. My geth were utterly convinced the salarians were the real threat. An impressive diversion. Of course it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's at stake," Saren said as he jumped off his platform and began walking toward them.

As he came into focus Garrus could begin to see how Saren had changed. His skin was an unnatural silver, his eyes were a soulless blue. Benezia had been right... he was no puppeteer, he was just a much a slave as the army he had been working to control.

"Sovereign and the rest of his kind destroyed the Protheans! What else is there to understand?" replied Shepard, gun raised.

"You've seen the visions from the beacons. You of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed to their invaders? Would they still be here, today? Is submission preferable to extinction?"

_Coward! He would rather ally himself with the Devil than stand and fight! He was a traitor, not worth the dirt under his talons. _Garrus let out an audible hiss.

"Do you really believe the Reapers would let us live?" Shepard said condescendingly.

"Now, you see why I never came forward to the Council with this. We organics are driven by emotion instead of logic. We will fight even when we cannot win. If we work with the Reapers - - make ourselves useful - - think how many lives could be spared! That is why I joined Sovereign, though aware of the dangers. That is why I built this facility, I hoped it could protect me."

"You bastard! Have you no shame, I should rip the fringe right from your skull. You are a disgrace to everything Turian. We will wipe you from existence!" Garrus roared.

"Easy Garrus," she said softly. She turned back to Saren, "You're afraid Sovereign is influencing you. You're afraid he's already controlling your thoughts!"

Completely ignoring Garrus' threat he replied "My studies have shown the more a subject falls under control, the less capable he becomes. Sovereign _needs_ me to find the Conduit. My mind is still my own... for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I _will not_ let it happen to me!"

"He's already manipulating you and don't even know it! You're already under its power!"

"No! Sovereign needs me!" he spoke as if reassuring himself with his own words. "If I find the Conduit, I have been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope!"

_He only cares about himself. If Shepard hadn't asked him to stand down Saren would be a dead man!_

"_Together_ we can stop Sovereign. We don't have to submit to the Reapers. We can beat them!"

_Was she actually so naïve... or did she just truly see the good in everyone? Either way, he would never stand for Saren joining them. And he was fairly sure Wrex felt the same. He could not figure out if Shepard's mercy was a strength or a weakness._

"I no longer believe that... the visions from the beacons cannot be denied. Sovereign is a machine... if I prove my worth I become a resource worth maintaing. There is no other logical conclusion!"

"You were a Spectre! Sworn to defend the galaxy, you broke that vow to save yourself!"

_Yes Shepard, yes! Get angry._

"I'm not doing this for myself! Can't you see? Sovereign will succeed, it is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive. An alliance between organics and machines, in so doing I will save more lives than have ever existed! But you...you would doom our entire civilization to extinction and for that you must die!"

With that he ordered his geth forward.

"Don't let him get away!"

Saren returned to his moving platform, making him difficult to target. But even with all of his power he was no match for the rage of a betrayed Turian, a Krogan fighting to avenge the genocide of his people and a Commander who just lost one of her most valued crew members.

He retreated to his ship as soon as his backup was eliminated and his shields began to drop.

"Nnnooooooo!" Garrus said running after the platform.

"It's no use! We know where he's going, he won't get away from us again! Right now we need to get off this rock before the whole thing blows!" Shepard said, slinging the injured Lieutenant over her shoulder.

The Normandy hovered just low enough for them to climb aboard.

"Hold on!" Joker shouted. "We're cutting it close!"

They felt the nuclear blast propel them forward through the atmosphere.

While waiting for the decontamination process to run it's course, everyone's nerves erupted to the surface.

"Kaidan! Do you mind telling me what the hell happened back there? Why Williams defied a direct order!" Shepard demanded.

"Quinn... Dammit! You know I am just as surprised as you are! It should have been me, if I could go back... you know that I would always chosoe to save Ash over myself. I wish I had some insight in to what just happened... but I don't!" His voice was desperate, creeping toward collapse.

"Well, we can't go back Kaidan, can we? Saren slipped through our fingers, Ashley is dead. This mission was fucked!"

_He had to say something._

"Please...this isn't what she would want," Garrus said.

"Like you would know!" Kaidan shouted.

"She made her choice, it's what she wanted. We should honor that. And Saren... he's not getting away, I swear on my life! I heard Joker was able to evac some of the salarian recon team while we fought Saren. This mission was not a failure! We now have a face for what we are up against. We will take Sovereign down and Saren with him!"

Shepard let out a deep breath and nodded. The decon chamber doors opened.

"Would one of you please take Kaidan to see Chakwas, I need to speak with the Council..." she said.

"Can we please talk about this later Commander?" Kaidan pleaded.

"Meet me in my quarters when you're feeling better, I'll be going over our next move until then," she said without looking back and walked away.

"Wrex... I am going to drop Kaidan by the Med Bay. Would you be up for a little hand to hand combat when I am done."

He knew it probably sounded weird to the human in the room. But the only way he knew how to work through grief was with violence. And that's what he intended to do.

"It's your funeral," Wrex replied. His face shifted, "Sorry, too soon, I didn't mean to reference death right now... You're on Garrus! I'll meet you on the lower deck when you're ready.

_He was ready... more ready than he'd ever been!_


End file.
